Broken Strings (Prince of Tennis-Seigaku)
by InariKiri
Summary: -Broken racket strings can't be mended, only replaced. But a body is nothing like that. You can't replace your body when it's broken. You can only hope it will heal and there are no shortcuts if you're impatient about it.- Ryumi Echizen's journey of healing mind and body with the help of her family, new friends and perhaps love.
1. Chapter 1

_What happens to a person when their body is broken to the point where there is no certainty for the future? All that you worked for is gone in a flash. The aftermath is something not one would like to face.  
_

Ryumi stares out of the window of the taxi, taking in the world around her. The city appears a bit different from last time she saw it. She has a bit mixed feelings on joining her family here this time around. She always planned to do so, but… not so soon and not under these circumstances…

"Ryumi, honey." the woman she considers to be her mother calls gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. The young girl startles awake, her head snapping up. She must've fallen asleep somewhere along the ride. She had a long flight behind her, a very uncomfortable one at that.

She looks around in a slight daze to find a slightly familiar house outside. She never actually lived in there. Only visited before returning back to her own life in the U.S.

Scooting carefully out of the vehicle, Ryumi stares at the traditional styled suburban house for a moment.

"Go on ahead. We'll take your stuff inside." her mother urges her calmly, already by the trunk of the car where the driver unloads her suitcases with care. Taking her mother's advice, Ryumi steps forward with slow and deliberate steps, her body stiff.

She enters the gate before making her way around the house, looking for someone in particular. She reaches the backyard and comes to a silent halt before the porch running around the back of the house.

"Oyaji."

The reclining man in robes freezes for a moment before lowering his magazine to peer at her with a set of dark-brown-with-a-hint-of-molten-gold-eyes very similar to her own. Seeing her standing there, he slowly puts down his reading material and rises to meet her.

When he steps down in front of her, he puts a hand on her head affectionately. "Welcome home my little bird." he coos before drawing her to him.

Putting her head on his chest, she can't help but shake a little with the emotions running through her, making her father wrap her up in his arms even tighter, shielding her from the world for as long as she needs it.

Sometimes, the only thing to make a teenage girl, who feels like her world is falling apart, to feel a bit better, is a hug from her dad.

"You'll be okay." he breathes.

…

"Oi! Echizen-kun! Are you gonna join me to the store? I need some new grip tape." Momoshiro calls out to his friend before he can leave the courts after practice.

The younger boy quickly shakes his head. "I can't today." he states simply before rushing off, faster than anyone is used to.

"Eh? O-chibi seems in a hurry." Eiji states, observing the boy's haste. Ryoma was only in the changing room for a second it seems, having gathered his things before briskly walking off towards the school gates. He's not even out of their sight before he starts running. "Whoa! Look at him go!" Eiji states in amazement.

Momoshiro blinks in confusion. "Wonder what's up. He wasn't really playing seriously today either, that he wasn't. Something on his mind, could that be it?" he muses.

"Interesting data." a voice mutters behind them, making Momoshiro glance over to see Inui scribbling in his booklet.

Oishi steps up beside Eiji, looking in the direction where Ryoma rushed off to. "I wonder if he's alright. I'm a bit worried. Should we go see?" he wonders, a frown creasing his brow. He carries the name of the mother of the group for a reason.

"What is the hold-up?" a voice from behind them asks authoritatively, making them turn to their captain.

"Nya, o-chibi is acting strange buchou." Eiji is quick to explain with a pout on his face.

Tezuka blinks unfazed. He too noticed the boy's lack of concentration in practice today, but didn't call him out for it just yet. If it continues however… "Leave it for tomorrow." he tells them sternly before turning away to meet with the coach to discuss the coming period's schedule.

Ryoma meanwhile is rushing towards his home in a fast pace. He hasn't been in such a hurry to get home in a long time, but he has a good reason. His big sister should have arrived today and he can't wait to see her.

They haven't seen each other in a few months at least. She only came by once shortly after they moved to Japan from the United States. While they left the States, she remained with the intention to at least finish junior high there, since she only had a year left to go before high school. During this time she stayed with his half-brother, him being her full brother and their aunt.

She planned to follow after them when she finished. But sadly, tragedy struck. He hasn't seen her yet and only heard some things of what happened and the sort of injuries she sustained from his parents and cousin telling him, but he wasn't allowed to see the pictures his brother made on their request during her stay in the hospital because they didn't want to scare him. But he was either way. Mentally, he has been preparing for the worst.

He almost didn't notice when he came bounding onto the property, but skidded to a halt and remembered to kick off his shoes before setting foot in the house or his mom would have his head.

He stepped into the dining area, looking around with wide eyes like hare on the watch for a buzzard. His heart is hammering and there is a lump in his throat.

"Ryoma." a voice calls out softly from the porch, making him look over to see his cousin Nanako, motioning him over to where she is sitting with a book on her lap.

"Nanako…" he breathes stepping closer.

She smiles kindly. "She's upstairs in her room. She's probably resting from her flight, but you can go check on her if you're quiet." she tells him, motioning to the stairs.

Ryoma hesitates for a moment before quietly making his way up the stairs, trying not to make the stairs creak. He crosses the hallway before coming to a stop before the room his mom had prepared for his sister.

He once again hesitates. He isn't sure why exactly, or then again… maybe he does. Despite how happy he is to have her here, he's a bit afraid of the state he'll find her in. He always looked up to her as she always had his back while growing up, but her accident made him realize that his big sis is not as invulnerable as she always appeared to him. Nothing would ever get her down so he believed…until something did.

He jumps in surprise as the door before him swings open and his eyes widen even more as he comes face to face with the girl he looked to for all the answers only to find her clearly lost for those she herself needs.

The first thing to catch his attention is her right arm that is hung in a sling and wrapped in a blue cast from her hand to her elbow. Another thing quite obvious to see is the brace around her right knee, clearly visible below her shorts. His eyes then run over her normally flawless skin to count the fading yellow blotches that used to be severe bruises.

He blinks out of his reverie when her free arm wraps around him pulling him in a hug that is long due. It is only then that he notices his quickened breathing and his watery vision. And at that moment he releases a sob that he has tried to hold in for the past three weeks, ever since he started worrying for his big sister's health.

* * *

 **So that's the first part of a new story. I wrote Prince of tennis before, a long time ago. I really like the anime and I like tennis, so what more could you want? I'm not entirely sure who I'm going to hook her up with. I have an idea, but I will create a few cute moments here and there before I make up my mind.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Tsch. That's the third time he's run off like that. Some friend he is." Momoshiro huffs annoyed, watching Ryoma take off like a wind hound for the third time that week. "What is that guy up to?"

Though Ryoma's focus returned, he's still a little more anti-social than usual and he stubbornly refuses to answer any questions as to why.

"He probably doesn't want to see your face anyone than he has to." Kaidoh tells him bluntly, making Momoshiro round on him.

"What was that Mamushi?!" he growls, shaking his fist at the other boy. Kaidoh's eye twitches and is about to rebuke, which is certain to result in another fight between the two of them, if it isn't for Eiji cutting in.

"Oi! Listen up closely!" he calls, jumping between the two of them with a big grin on his face. "Hear this nya! I heard the freshmen gossip about o-chibi meeting up with a girl nya! They overheard him talking to her on the phone!" he tells them excitedly, catching the other boy's attention.

Momoshiro balks at the thought. "You're kidding senpai!"

"Mh? What's going on? What are you so excited about Eiji?" Fuji asks, having overheard something and couldn't restrain his curiosity.

Eiji turns to him excitedly. "Ne, Fuji. Our o-chibi seems to be meeting up with a girl after practice. Secret romance!" he exclaims, nearly bursting in all his excitement as he pumps his fists in the air.

Fuji Syusuke cocks his head to the side. "Saa, that's very interesting."

"Hush! There he goes." Momoshiro shushes them as Ryoma departs from the changing room before making heading towards the school gates.

"Let's go!" Momoshiro calls, taking his bag and running after Ryoma.

"Hoi hoi! In pursuit! Come on Oishi!" Eiji grins before following Momoshiro's example after snatching his unaware friend with him.

Fuji smiles before calmly following after them, eager to find out the truth behind the rumors.

"Hm?" Inui perks up, seeing all his teammates but Kawamura and Kaidoh file out. He is about to follow them when Tezuka calls out to him.

"Inui. What have you planned for tomorrow's practice?" he asks, making Inui turn to Tezuka with raised brows, pointing after the others that just left, only to relent at the look his captain gives him.

"Good data lost." he mutters in dismay.

…

"There he is!" Momoshiro says in a loud whisper as they quickly duck behind a corner of a building.

"Guys, I don't think we should do thi-." Oishi starts, only to be cut off by Eiji who gasps.

"Look, look. There _is_ a girl with him. Waaah~. I can't see her face." he breathes, seeing Ryoma walk ahead with a slightly taller girl by his side. They can only see the back of her, and the only thing they can really see is that she has long dark hair, tied in a bow and draped over one shoulder. She is wearing a long skirt and a short-sleeved blouse.

Momoshiro grins proudly. "That bastard." he says in his own loving way.

They follow the two of them from a safe distance, trying to make as many observations as they can, but it bothers them that they just can't seem to see her face. They did at one time glimpse that her arm is in a cast though, making their curiosity grow.

For a moment, the two step outside an ice-cream shop and are surprised when the girl hands Ryoma some money before he disappears inside, only to come out a minute later with two milkshakes.

"Oi! Echizen, that is not courteous at all to have the lady pay on your date!" Oishi nearly shouts indignantly before he's dragged back by his friends who quickly shush him. Luckily they didn't seem to have heard. He really got into it after actually seeing the rumored girl exists.

Momoshiro sighs in dismay. "Typical. The guy doesn't know anything about dating." he says, shaking his head.

Somehow they end up at the public tennis courts and the two of them halt for a moment, seeming to talk before a nod of the girl's head signals their ascend up the stairs towards them.

The girl walks slowly and seems to struggle up the twenty steps leading to the courts, but luckily Ryoma doesn't appear dense enough not to see and reaches out a hand, wrapping it around hers and supports her on their way up.

Eiji's eyes seem to nearly roll from his sockets. "They're holding hands! Do you see that?! Eh? Do you guys?!"

"We see it Eiji." Fuji assures his excited friend. "We should follow before we lose sight of them." he suggests, seeing as the duo have reached the top and are walking off to the right together.

Once up there, they duck behind some bushes. They see the girl tug on Ryoma's sleeve, asking him something before they make to the bleachers next to the courts where a couple of random people are playing, where she sits down and Ryoma takes her empty beaker before seeming to go search for a trashcan.

The guys are all watching intrigued when the girl adjusts her position to sit comfortable, making her reveal the left side of her face to them.

"Kawaii onee-chan~." Eiji gushes, clasping his hands together dreamily.

"She looks older than Echizen, perhaps even a senior." Oishi notes with curiosity.

Momoshiro nods in surprise. "You may be right, that you may senpai. Maybe Echizen likes older girls. What do you think Fuji-senpai?" he asks, turning to look back at the upper-classman, only to find him gone. "Eh? Where did he go?"

Eiji gasps. "Look there!" he points, seeing Fuji ahead, walking straight over towards the girl.

"Fuji is going straight for the interrogation. Risky move." Oishi breathes, a little worried.

"Daring. As expected from Fuji-senpai." Momoshiro says, looking on intrigued as the boy sits down close next to the girl after seemingly asking her permission.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryumi looks up when she hears footsteps approaching, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looks over to see a boy approaching and the first thing she notices is that he wears the same jersey her little brother has lying around in his room.

"May I join you?" he asks kindly with a closed eyed smile. His light brown hair sways slightly in the breeze that carries through the area.

She shrugs indifferently in response. "I don't mind."

"Thank you." he nods, sitting down and leaning back on his hands. Fuji glances innocently at the tennis bag left with her, her right foot resting on it to keep it raised for a moment of respite. "Saa. It that yours?" he questions.

Ryumi rolls her eyes up to look at him, boring into him with her sharp eyes. "You're joking right?" she asks with a hint of disbelief. Is the guy blind? He does see she has a broken arm right? Or he doesn't…. He does seem to keep his eyes closed the entire time.

"Sorry, silly question. You're with someone then?" He questions right after apologizing. She raises a brow in response, wondering why this stranger is asking her all these random questions.

She blinks up at him for a moment, making him tilt his head in curiosity. "Mmh?"

"Ano… Is this common practice? To ask questions you know the answer to I mean? You guys have been following after us for the thirty minutes or so…" she drawls, flooring him for a moment. She doesn't look creeped out, but guarded.

Suddenly he begins to chuckle and rubs his neck in apparent discomfort, though it all appears false. "Looks like we've been found out. You're rather sharp huh?"

Ryumi looks at him unimpressed before a surprised voice sounds to her right, "Fuji-senpai? What are you doing here?" Ryoma wonders, holding two ponta's in his hands.

"Ne, your peers are stalkers Ryoma." Ryumi muses bluntly, making him blink.

"Peers?" he wonders before looking over when three of his teammates come stumbling out of the brush, falling over each other.

"Itai! Watch it Kikumaru-senpai!" Momoshiro groans, pushing the upperclassman off of him.

"You guys…" Ryoma sighs with a deadpanned look.

Fuji chuckles again. "Saa, Echizen-kun, care to introduce us?" he asks, seeing it fit to get to the point.

Ryoma stares at him for a moment with a bored look that borders on annoyance. "Why are you sitting so close?" he suddenly asks, making Fuji's smile widen as the sadistic side of him crawls to the surface. He does enjoy pestering the boy more than he would care to admit. Him being overprotective of this girl is just another way for him to do just that.

Ryoma finally sighs before turning to his sister. "Let's go." he states dryly, opposed to dealing with them and their blatant curiosity.

Ryumi's lips twitch in amusement. "Are you always this rude chibisuke?" she asks, making Ryoma nearly pout as he takes her outstretched hand to help her up.

"Eh? Chibisuke?" Eiji questions at hearing the nickname.

"Nee-san… Stop calling me that." Ryoma groans, embarrassed as he pulls his cap down further to hide his eyes.

His friends stare in shock, all but Fuji, who looks accomplished. "Well then, I thought that was the case." he hums.

"Now that you mention it…" Oishi breathes, seeing the similarities between the two, from their hair color, their eyes to their overall facial features.

"Waaa~. You never told us you had a sister o-chibi! How could you~?" Eiji complains before darting forward happily to greet the girl. "Nice to meet you! I'm Kikumaru Eiji, your little brother's teammate and friend!" he introduces excitedly, making Ryoma mutter something under his breath about being called 'little'.

"Echizen Ryumi." she introduces after recovering from utter cheerfulness wafting from the redhead.

A guy with very short black hair steps up beside him. "Oishi Shuichiro. Sorry about following you around. We don't mean to be rude." he apologizes, making Ryumi nod in appreciation at the polite gesture.

"You've met Fuji already." he gestures towards the boy who sat next to her as he raises his hand in greeting.

"Fuji Syusuke." he introduces, still with that smile on his face. Ryumi simply nods before turning to the last guy who also has short black hair, but not as much as Oishi.

"Momoshiro Takeshi, but just call me Momo. Nice to meet ya." he grins. "I'm glad to know that the brat has a good reason for standing me up everyday." he states, pulling Ryoma close to give him a noogie.

"Cut it out senpai!" he complains, trying to pull free but failing miserable. He is only released when Momoshiro lets him. He laughs loudly at the younger boy's expense.

"Ne, I'm curious… How come we've never met you before?" Eiji asks Ryumi, a finger to his chin as he looks down at her slightly shorter form with his large blue eyes.

"Eiji! Don't be rude!" Oishi scolds, making his friend stagger.

"S-sorry. I don't mean to be rude nya." he quickly apologizes, waving his arms about.

"It's fine." Ryumi tells him, not bothered. "I just moved here from the States."

He blinks curiously, like he wants to ask more, but refrains from doing so for now.

"Can we go now?" Ryoma asks impatiently, making Momoshiro bristle.

"Why are you so eager to get away from us? At least play a game with me now that we're here." he urges.

Ryumi can see her little brother waver. She knows he's always in for a match and she doesn't want her ruin his fun on her behalf, just because she sore about… Hmph. Forget it. Besides… "Ryoma… I haven't seen you play yet since you came here. Why don't you show me what you can do?"

He blinks up at her in surprise. "Are you sure?"

She nods in reply, not letting anything show on her face but a hint of encouragement. "Go for it."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm a bit surprised. This story is better recieved and more read than I thought it would be. I'm glad to see so many PoT fans still out for the reviews! I hope you like this part.**

* * *

Having been given the okay to play by his sister, Ryoma couldn't help but oblige. With one final look to check if she's all right, he heads for the court with Momo after retrieving a racket from his bag. He leaves the drinks with her for later.

She herself lowers herself back into her previous spot, trying to ignore the tugging sensation on her knee when she tries to bend it a bit. She comes down a bit hard, making Fuji glance at her for a moment.

"Are you alright, Echizen-san?" he wonders.

She looks at him for a moment, thinking it over, before motioning him to look. She lifted her skirt just slightly, showing the edge of the brace fastened around her knee. "I see." he murmurs, his smile now gone.

She'd rather not draw too much attention to it, but sometimes, her movements are just too clumsy. It makes her a bit self-conscious. But putting this explanation out there is not to gain anyone's pity either.

"See what Fujiko?" Eiji questions flopping down on Ryumi's other side.

"Hm?" Fuji brings out, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, nothing Eiji." he waves off the matter quickly, understanding that it is not up to him to reveal anything. It is very much appreciated by Ryumi.

"Oh okay." Eiji shrugs before smiling brightly. "Ne, Ryumi-chan. You haven't seen o-chibi play since he came here you said? Well he really surprised us you know, when he came to join the club. And he's gotten a lot better since! Your little brother is really something!" he compliments lightheartedly.

She can't help but smile a little, caught up in Eiji's cheerful demeanor. "Is that so?" she breathes, turning her eyes towards the court where Momo and her brother are warming up.

Soon they are ready and the tricks they pull out are those not often seen by kids their age. Ryoma's style hasn't changed that much yet, but she can see the improvement he's made. He's stronger, quicker… and enjoying tennis more than before. It seems this team he's in, the Seigaku regulars bring out the best in him.

Ryumi is glad to see her little brother doing so well and making friends. She was a bit worried after they moved away.

Now, it's Ryoma who has been worried about her. She wishes he wouldn't, but she understands. She hasn't been quite the same since the accident after all. And hanging around tennis courts, watching other people play… It just feels like she's torturing herself. But she would hate it even more, if she were holding Ryoma back. She just can't do that.

She glances down at Ryoma's bag where his other rackets are sticking out. As the sounds of the tennis ball being struck over and over again echoes in her ears, her hand starts to itch. She wants to feel the sensation of the grip tape in her fingers, the light weight of a racket weighing down her arm. A swing…

She clenches her left fist, willing herself to snap out of it and opts to stare past her little brother into nothingness. There is no chance for her to play. Not now, maybe not ever again. It hurts so.

"Hoi hoi! He does it again!" Eiji cheers once the match is over. Ryoma came out on top. "What do you think Ryumi-chan?" he asks, trying to read her thoughts.

She smirks slightly. "Mada mada dane." she mutters.

Oishi and Fuji can't help but chuckle. "You two really are family." Oishi states.

After downing his can of ponta and wiping the sweat from his face, Ryoma turns to his sister. "Let's go home now, Ryumi-nee." he urges, feeling like she's been out long enough. He doesn't want her to tire herself out. She's still recovering after all.

She nods in agreement, once again letting her little brother help her to her feet. She turns to the others, "Thank you, for taking care of Ryoma for me all this time." she tells them earnestly.

Oishi waves off the words awkwardly. "No, it was really no trouble Echizen-san." The other three nod in agreement.

As they turn to leave, Eiji halts in his tracks. "Ne, Ryumi-chan. Will you be going to school anytime soon?" he wonders.

She nods after a moment of thought. "Soon, I'll join chibisuke at Sheishun Gakuen." she tells him, making him grin.

"Yosh! Let's become good friends Ryumi-chan!" he cheers, making her blink in surprise. Fuji smiles in amusement at his friend's ability to break through walls.

Finally she nods in agreement, making Eiji give her the thumbs up.

…

The next day, Ryoma is at school and she urged him not to stand up his friends for her sake, so he promised to hang out with Momoshiro today. That means she will be entertaining herself today.

For the past two days, she spent the mornings with her dad at the temple, finding solace in the peaceful area. But today, the hours ticked by and she ends up staying the whole day, just reading and glaring at the tennis racket lying on the ground by the court on the far end.

From time to time she can feel her dad eying her with emotions unknown as he lies about in the sun, 'reading'. They haven't talked much since she came home, both not really knowing where to start. She really takes after him when it comes to addressing serious subjects.

Finally, as the clocks strikes mid afternoon and she can hear her dad ring the large bronze bell in the background, she has had enough.

Getting to her feet, she makes her way to the court and bends through her good knee to pick up the ancient racket that has been taunting her the whole day.

Her dad looks up from his magazine and pauses in ringing the bell with the rope snared around his foot. Lazy man…

He watches as she grips the racket tightly before finding a ball. She balances the ball on the racket before turning to the wall, her back to him. She lets the ball roll from the racket and onto the ground before bouncing it a few times. So far so good.

She bounces the ball a final time before swinging her left arm, hitting it with less force than she is used to of herself, but it hits the wall and bounces back. She takes a step as the ball doesn't follow the course she planned for it before hitting it back.

Another step, hit, step, hit, step…. No! It's too far to reach. She stumbles, her right leg not able to follow the signals her brain sends and she comes crashing down on her left side with a grunt.

She hisses at the sting of the pebbles scratching her skin before forcing herself back up. She picks up the racket once more and bounces the ball after retrieving it before swinging back the racket, only to widen her eyes when it's snatched from her grasp.

She watches the ball drop to the ground before bouncing away from her and out of reach under a bush. "I'm all for perseverance, but I can't let you ignore doctor's orders." she hears her dad tell her from behind her.

Ryumi grits her teeth, suddenly feeling very angry. "I don't care! Let me play!" she shouts, silencing the birds around them as she rounds on her dad.

He cocks his head to the side, wearing an exasperated look on his face. He knew this moment was to come sometime, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. Normally he finds it amusing when his kids throw tantrums, but this is different. His daughter's anger is rooted deeply.

"You know I can't let you do that. Be reasonable." he tells her, not afraid to face her wrath.

"There is nothing reasonable about this! This whole situation is a mess! Now let me practice before I grow out of shape!" she shouts at him, her face growing red.

Nanjiro scoffs. "Do you hear yourself? What shape are you talking about? Your arm is broken and you have torn tendons in your knee. You need to give your body time to heal. It will only get worse if you don't."

Ryumi grits her teeth, the harsh reality doesn't sit well with her as her dad shoves it down her throat without sympathy. "You don't understand oyaji… I'm going mad!" she admits.

"Don't you think I don't see that?! What kind of father do you think I am?! I can see you're suffering… That the uncertainty of the future brings you down… But I'm not risking you hurting yourself further because you can't keep your cool you hear?" he growls, but in between his anger, there is something else filtering through… sadness.

"There are worse things than being patient for a couple more weeks. Sure, you may not be able to play like you used to ever again. But then again, maybe you can. Maybe it will take months or maybe even years… but at least you're not dead!" he shouts, slinging the racket away behind him.

Ryumi blinks, shocked at his outburst. She can feel the tears well up in her eyes again before quickly stepping forward and throwing her arms around her dad's waist.

"I'm sorry." she apologizes weakly, startling the man. She was so pre-occupied with herself that she didn't realize how scared he must have been when he heard what happened to her. She didn't realize how glad he is just to have her still there and walking and talking.

Nanjiro sighs, putting an arm around her shaking shoulders as his anger ebbs away quickly. "It's okay kiddo. It's fine to be angry, just… don't push yourself. You don't want to do something you might regret." he tells her.

He pulls away from her before putting up his usual easy going smile. "Now come on. Let's play a game of go. That board has been sitting there gathering dust. That brat never wants to play with his old man."

Ryumi wipes her eyes quickly, before nodding with a small smile. She feels a little lighter now that she released her anger. To bad her dad had to get the brunt of it though. Luckily he is perfectly capable of meeting her force head on.

Together they set up the game in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

"Rotate your shoulder once more." doctor Akitaka asks.

Ryumi does as asked, cooperating with her new physician calmly. He feels the movement of her muscle and nods, satisfied. "Alright. I think you can leave the sling now. The muscles in your shoulder have recovered enough. I can't guarantee that if you're not careful, that it won't pop out of its socket again though. The muscle always is left a bit weakened once it has." he explains.

Ryumi nods in thanks. "What about the cast though?" she questions.

"Mmh. I think we can make an appointment in two weeks to make an x-ray. If I'm satisfied, we can take it off the same day." he states with a smile.

That would be nice, wouldn't it honey?" her mom coos, making her nod in agreement.

As the doctor puts away his things, he speaks up, "Your mom told me you will be starting school this Monday. Seigaku huh?" he muses.

"Yeah." Ryumi answers, putting on her coat without the help of her mom this time. She's glad she can lose the sling, so she can be a little more independent.

"My nephew in is in the same grade you'll be in. Oishi Shuichiro. Maybe you'll meet him." he tells her with a smile.

Ryumi blinks, a little surprised. "You're Oishi-san's uncle?" she wonders.

"Huh? You've met him already?" he questions surprised, making Ryumi nod. "That's good. Than you will at least know someone there already besides your brother."

"Anyway. You're free to go. I will call ahead when I can see you about that cast." he nods at her arm.

"Thank you doctor Akitaka. We'll see you soon." her mother smiles kindly before they walk out of his office together.

As they step into the car after leaving the hospital, her mom turns the ignition on and drives them back home, talking happily, "Are you excited about going back to school? I heard from Ryoma that the guys from his team are pretty nice. You'll make lots of friends, I'm sure."

"Ryoma said that?" Ryumi asks her mom, skeptical about Ryoma saying such a thing.

Rinko chuckles. "Well, in his own way off course. He hasn't said anything bad about them, so they must be, right?"

Ryumi shrugs. "I suppose." she hums, remembering the four she met already. They seemed okay to her.

…

The phone rings a few times on the other end before it's picked up. "Ah! Little sis! Took you long enough to call. Did you forget about me already?" an indignant voice asks from the other end.

"Of course not Ryoga-nii. I just needed some time to adjust, I guess." Ryumi tells him petting their cat Karupin absentmindedly, as he lies sprawled out across her bed.

He hums on the other end. "I see. So how is it going?" he questions. "Any better?"

Ryumi shrugs before becoming aware that he can't see it. "A little. The sling has come off today. The cast is going to remain for at least two more weeks." she tells him.

"And your knee?" he asks, a little carefully.

She grimaces. "It hurts still. I-I don't feel any improvement." she admits.

He sighs. "Well, just wait it out. It's too early to make any conclusions. It needs time to heal properly. Don't sit still for too long, but don't overexert yourself either. Step by step, it will improve, I'm sure." he tells her, sounding confident.

Now it's her turn to sigh. "I hope so. I… I hate feeling so weak and dependent. And, I also hate worrying you guys." she tells him earnestly.

"Don't mind it sis. It comes with being family. We just want you to be happy again." he waves off. "We understand you took a big blow. You love tennis more than anything; heck, if you'd have to choose between me or tennis, I'd be pulling on the short end of the stick."

Ryumi can't help but laugh. "No way aniki. I'd only trade you in for a lifelong supply of sundae's."

Ryoga scoffs. "That's nice to know."

Ryumi laughs again. "You know I love you."

"Yeah, just not as much as ice cream. I know where I stand." he mutters.

"Aah. Now I feel like getting ice cream." Ryumi sighs.

"Alright, alright. I get the hint. I'll leave you and your ice cream to yourselves. Talk to you later sis." he chuckles.

"Bye Ryoga~!" she sings, before hanging up the phone.

She sighs before putting her phone away, staring at the wall for a moment. Ryoga knows how to pull her out of her shell better than anyone. She misses her brother and the feeling is even more prominent now that she heard his voice. How long will it be before they see each other again?

He's always so busy. Ryoma hasn't even seen him in a long while. She wonders if he would even recognize his brother when he saw him.

Shaking the melancholy away, her eyes run over her school uniform hanging over her chair. The skirt is a bit short… Tsch. Can't be helped.

Checking the time she decides she will pick up Ryoma from school. She can practice the route as she does. And on the way back, they can go for ice cream. That's killing two birds with one stone!

Ten minutes later, she is standing at a crossroad, looking down at her phone with confusion. If she followed the map correctly, she wouldn't have come across such a large intersection, so at one point or another, she must've taken the wrong way.

As she stands there, frustrating herself over where it went wrong, a voice beside her speaks up, "Did you get lost or something?"

She looks up to see a boy with short brown hair, who's pretty tall and has a scar on the right side of his forehead. He carries a tennis bag over his shoulder.

"Er. A little?" she half-heartedly admits.

"Hn. Where are you planning on going?" he asks, though only half-interested. It seems he's trying to keep up some though guy act or something.

"Seigaku. Do you happen to know the way?" she wonders coolly, quirking a brow when the mere mention of the school makes his eye twitch.

"Yeah, I know." he scoffs before walking off.

Ryumi stares after him indignantly. "You're not going to tell me?" she asks, stepping after him.

He shrugs. "You never asked the way."

Ryumi can't help but roll her eyes. "You have a beef with them or something, Fuji-kun?" she asks, making him halt in his tracks.

"How do you know my name?" he asks surprised, only to sigh when she points at his name printed on his bag.

"Relation to?" she asks, only to have him narrow his eyes and scoff again before continuing on his path. "Brother issues huh? Well, I'm trying to find mine and I would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction." she says bluntly only to nearly crash against his back when he comes to a sudden halt.

She blinks as he points to the side of them and follows his finger to a large school building. Next to the gate hangs a sign: 'Sheishun Gakuen'.

"Ah~. Seems you're not such a bad guy, Fuji-kun." she muses, realizing he led the way to her destination.

"Yuuta." he states. "Call me Yuuta instead." he says sternly before sauntering off.

"Okay. Nice to meet you Yuuta-kun! Ryumi Echizen is the name!" she calls after him before making her way over to the school building, not noticing how he stumbles over his feet in shock.

"What?!"

* * *

 **I've been writing so much on this story, I thought I could afford to post often. I don't know how long that will last though, but I have a lot written down already. Please let me know your thoughts on the story. I would lover to hear from you guys.**


	6. Chapter 6

Ryumi stares around the school grounds, wondering where the tennis courts would be, because she's sure she can find Ryoma there. She suddenly spots two girls coming around the back of the school, the one with two braids carrying a tennis bag.

"Excuse me!" she calls, startling the braided girl, while the other looks up at her curiously.

"Y-yes?" she braided girl asks timidly.

"I was just wondering if the tennis courts were around the back." she tells them, noticing the other girl's skeptic look. "I'm looking for Ryoma." she adds, but that only seemed to make a dam burst.

"What do you want with Ryoma-sama?! As official leader of Ryoma-sama's fan club, I demand to know your business with him!" the girl with pigtails shouts rudely.

Ryumi doesn't know whether to laugh or be shocked by her attitude. "Chibisuke has a fan club? No way!" she exclaims in disbelief. "Wait till dad hears this…" she mutters under her breath.

The girl with pigtails is about to open her mouth again, but the girl with pigtails holds her back. "A-ano… Are you Ryoma-kun's sister?" she asks shyly.

Ryumi nods her head at the girl making the other one look horrified, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Ryumi, yeah. How did you know?" she wonders.

The girl smiles gently. "Well, I sometimes hear Eiji-senpai or Momo-senpai mention you." she admits while staring at the ground.

"Really?" Ryumi hums.

The girl nods in confirmation before pointing in the direction they came from. "The tennis courts are that way. You can find Ryoma-kun there." she tells Ryumi, who nods in thanks, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks a lot…"

"Ryuzaki Sakuno." the girl fills in. "And this is Osakada Tomoka." she introduces the other girl, who still looks a bit freaked out.

Ryumi nods in thanks once again. "See you, Sakuno-chan, Tomoka-chan." she greets before making her way around the school.

…

Ryumi finally finds the courts and sees some boys still training hard, some of them being regulars. It seems the girl's tennis club has already packed up and left.

She spots Ryoma still on the court so she decides to wait for him by the benches. She sits down next to a bespectacled dark haired boy, who's scribbling in a notebook like a mad man.

He looks up with a brow raised in curiosity as she sits down. "You don't mind right?" she asks the boy.

"No. Who-?" he starts to ask, only to startle when a voice calls loudly from across the courts, "Ryumi-chan! Over here! Hoi hoi!" Eiji calls excitedly as he jumps up and down, making her look over, while several eyes turn to her.

Ryumi waves back awkwardly, once again a little taken aback by the redhead's cheerfulness.

"Eiji! Keep your guard up!" a stern-faced boy with spectacles calls from the sidelines near Ryumi, making Eiji cringe.

"G-gomen, gomen, Tezuka-buchou!" he calls back before turning back to his practices.

"Mada mada dane." she hears her little brother mumble before he too quickly goes back to what he was doing, though rounding it up in a hurry.

"Echizen Ryumi huh?" the boy next to her questions, although seemingly rhetorical. "Second place in last years girl's US junior division, this years favorite for the cup, until-…" he halts suddenly, seeing her glare trained on him. She doesn't miss the glance of the captain in their direction.

"Sadaharu Inui I presume?" she questions. "Ryoma warned me about you."

"Oh?" he wonders, taken aback.

"Inui-Senpai. Don't bother my sister." Ryoma cuts in, having stepped out of the court before turning to her. "Onee-san. What are you doing here?" he wonders.

"I wanted to see the place and get some ice cream with you." she admits with a shrug.

"We just had ice cream yesterday." he complains in return.

"Saa, I could go for some ice cream if you'd like Ryumi-chan." Fuji says as he suddenly sits down on the bench as well, nearly squishing her between himself and Inui. It seems he picked up on Eiji's way of addressing her. "It's rather hot today." he sighs, though not breaking a sweat.

Ryoma glares at him in reaction. "Fuji-senpai…" he mutters darkly.

"Uwaa~. Ice cream!" Eiji cheers, dashing out of the courts, making Oishi call after him before shaking his head and giving up.

Ryumi feels uncomfortable enough in her position, but when the captain's stern eyes turn to her, she starts to wiggle in her seat a little. "I'm sorry about this." she mutters just loud enough for him to hear, realizing she is disrupting training.

"We are finished." he states after a second before turning away. Ryumi breathes a sigh in relief.

"You guys are going to get me in trouble before I even start school." she groans.

"Hold on nee-san." Ryoma tells her before quickly going to freshen up.

"It's not like I'm going anywhere." she mutters in reply, feeling Fuji put his arm around the back of the bench in preparation for Ryoma's return. "Why do you pester him like that?" she asks, turning to him.

He shrugs in reply. "It's funny."

After Ryoma returned, he glowered at Fuji some more for his forwardness with his sister. And after meeting the remaining members of the team, that also being Tezuka officially, they took off for the ice cream parlor with nearly the whole team in tow.

It seems that no matter what, these guys can't be shaken off. That will prove something for the future…


	7. Chapter 7

"This skirt…." Ryumi hisses in disdain as she looks at herself in the mirror, turning this way and that. She has her hair braided in a fishtail, courtesy of her cousin. The dark green tinted hair sets off the bright colored uniform in a sharp contrast.

With a sigh, she makes her way downstairs for breakfast, after making sure to drag her little brother out of bed of course. After that, they make for school together, Ryoma carrying her bag for her even though she insisted she could handle it.

A bell ringing catches their attention and they look to see Momoshiro riding up to them by bike. "Morning~!" he calls cheerfully.

"Ah, Momo-senpai." Ryoma and Ryumi greet dully in unison, making him sweat drop.

Ryoma elbows his sister in the side playfully, making her snicker. "You're predictable, chibisuke."

Despite his sister pestering him, Ryoma can't help but smile. Ryumi has become a little more cheerful these past days. It seems she has taken her mind of her predicament for now and the sullen looks and random bursts of anger are growing sparser. There are still times though…

Momoshiro grins at seeing Ryumi dressed in a familiar uniform. "Look here! First day of school, isn't it Ryumi-senpai?"

She nods in reply. "Yeah. I've prepared myself, so I shouldn't fall behind despite the late start." she tells him with a firm nod.

"Alright! Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Momo cheers before quickly paddling away, ignoring Ryoma's calls to slow down.

…

Once they reach school, Ryoma takes her to the office to get her schedule before quickly running off before he's late for practice.

Swinging her bag over her left shoulder, she eyes the piece of paper she received as she steps out of the school office five minutes later.

"3-6…" she muses, before looking around. "Where is it?" She starts looking all over, but…

"Nee-san? Did you get lost again?" Ryoma asks, looking up at her, making her blink in surprise as she lowers her schedule to find herself outside at the courts.

"No?" she says, unconvincingly, making him sigh. Her sense of direction is pretty notorious among her family.

"Eh? Did you lose your way Ryumi-chan?" Kawamura wonders as he also stands outside the courts, waiting for his turn to practice.

"She always does." Ryoma mutters, making her glower at him. "But she always ends up at a tennis court. It's like magnetism." he explains, making the tall boy look on in wonder.

"Really?" he mutters.

Ryumi glares at the boy that is nearly half a head shorter than her. "Oi. Don't make fun of me." she complains, snatching his racket from his hands and softly hitting him over the head with it. "Now don't you have to practice or something?" she asks while starting to poke him over to the courts with his racket while he tries to snatch it away.

"Incoming!" a freshman calls, making them look up to see a tennis ball coming their way as it flies high over the chain-link fence.

Ryoma's eyes widen while Ryumi's narrow and zero in on the ball. "No!" Ryoma calls as he watches her react as if on instinct, swinging the racket high before giving the ball the proper spin for a return.

"Wha-!" Kaidoh startles as the ball flies past him as he opens the gate to the courts, watching it hurtle onto the court with speed and accurately land in a basket sitting on the opposite corner of the court.

Everyone is silent for a moment as they look at her in surprise. Ryumi seems to snap out of whatever trance overcame then and quickly hands Ryoma back his racket.

Ryoma gazes at her carefully before she shoots him a look, telling him not to fuss. "I should find my class." she states hurriedly, before marching back inside as quickly as she can, biting down the sting in her knee as it protests at the slight skip she made while hitting the ball.

"You Echizen's always have to make a flashy entry huh?" a voice muses, making Ryumi look to see a middle-aged lady in a track suit come down from the upper floor.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, isn't it?" Ryumi wonder. The woman nods in confirmation. "It was just a stroke of luck."

Sensei chuckles at that. "Who are you expecting to believe that? With a racket in your hand, you just can't help yourself. Just like your old man." she smiles for a moment before it drops. "But there lies the danger, doesn't it? If you take too much risk, you're going to ruin your knee right?"

Ryumi stares at her for a moment before speaking up, "Broken bones are nothing. Not compared to the snapped strings of your body."

Ryuzaki nods in agreement. "That's right. But, since you can't seem to get away from the courts, why not do something else? Help train these kids, or something of the like. You have other skills beside just playing ten-…"

"I'll pass." Ryumi interrupts, surprising the woman a little. "I'm not stepping a foot inside a court, unless it's to play."

Finally Ryuzaki-sensei smiles again. "I should have guessed." she muses before checking her watch. "Class starts in ten. You'd better get going. Upstairs, to the left." she motions; watching Ryumi glare at the stairs for a moment before stepping passed her to conquer them.

Ryuzaki-sensei sighs to herself. "You Echizens are all the same. Stubborn mules." she mutters.


	8. Chapter 8

**By popular demand, another quick update! Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

"I'm Echizen Ryumi, relation of. I just moved here from the U.S. to join my family. Please be kind." she introduces herself, causing a buzz of voices to fill the classroom.

After officially introducing herself in class, which happens to contain Eiji and Fuji, the rumor mill started going like a wildfire. Somehow everyone seemed to contain themselves, until lunch…

…

"Mm. Special deluxe bento~." Eiji sings, quickly digging in his lunch while Fuji starts eating at a more leisure pace beside him.

"Mh?" Fuji hums, looking up curiously when two members of the girl's tennis team stop in front of Ryumi who is sitting in front of them. One of them shows her a playback of a tennis match from her phone.

"That's you, isn't it?" Mizuri, the one holding the phone asks.

Ryumi hesitates for a moment. "That _was_ me." she finally answers, though with little enthusiasm.

Fuji leans forward in his seat to see a bit better. He guessed that the shot she made at the courts that morning wasn't a fluke, but then again, she's Ryoma's big sister. There should be no surprise that she plays, or rather played.

He's not sure what happened, but Ryumi suffered a beating. There is no doubt she is unable to play for now at least. And judging from Ryoma's terrified shout this morning, she wasn't supposed to try either.

"It's too bad what happened. You would have gone off with first place for sure. You would be playing internationally this year." the other girl, Sasaki states.

Mizuri nods in agreement. "It was a real foul move to have your car rammed. They should have locked her up for that." she huffs, catching the boy's attention, wondering what and who they are talking about.

Ryumi has stiffened, her shoulders have gone rigid.

"Or at least kicked her out of the competition. Now she's happily run off with the title." Sasaki adds with a nod.

"Stop it." Ryumi hisses, taking the girls aback. "None of that was Peters' fault. There was no sabotage involved."

The two girls opposite her hesitate for a moment before Mizuri chuckles awkwardly. "You're kidding right? It was her brother that ran into you. Did they pay you hush money?" she suggests.

They startle when Ryumi jumps to her feet, her chair tipping over. "You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about!" she shouts, drawing the attention of the rest of the class. She lets out a shaky breath, anger clearly visible before she rushes out of the classroom, leaving her startled classmates behind.

Fuji is about to go after her, but Eiji has already jumped to his feet, shooting a harsh look towards the two girls, shaking them visibly. Fuji raises a brow. He can count the times he's seen his friend so angry with someone on one hand.

"That was a really mean thing to say… I don't like people who hurt my friends." he says with a dark scowl plastered on his face before gathering his and Ryumi's lunch and waltzing out of the room with large angry steps.

"Eiji…" Fuji breathes before sighing. He sits back down slowly, knowing it's best to leave them be for now. Eiji can take care of himself and Ryumi will be in good company with him.

He throws one more look at the two girls for good measure, making them scuttle back to their seats on the opposite side of the room. Pitiful.

…

"Ne, Ryumi-chan. Are you okay?" a voice asks carefully.

Ryumi opens her eyes, slightly startled, and fixates them on the person squatting down in front of her. "Oh, Eiji-kun." She is surprised he came after her and found her so quickly as well. She took refuge outside on the rooftop.

She watches him curiously as he sits down next to her before holding out her lunchbox for her to take. "Thanks." she says quietly, setting it down on her lap, but not making a motion to eat.

"Don't mind them. They usually only read gossip anyway." she hears him say.

She doesn't look at him, only stares placidly in front of her, not really focused on anything as she speaks up, "How can you be sure they're not telling the truth?" she counters.

"Eh? I don't believe that!" he scoffs, making her finally look up at him.

"Why not? You don't know me all that well. You don't know what happened." she states.

He blinks for a moment. "But, you're my friend… and I have a good sense of character, don't you know? So I don't think such a thing can be true." he tells her, leaving no room for argument.

Ryumi is startled into silence. She leans back on the fence, turning her eyes back to her front.

"Ne, Ryumi-chan… What happened?" he finally asks very softly, pulling his knees to his chest.

Ryumi hesitates, but something about Eiji makes it feel okay to talk about it, somehow. "I'm a little surprised." she admits.

"Huh?" Eiji muses cocking his head in curiosity.

"I don't think anyone ever asked straight out before. People see me, but somehow are afraid to ask." she muses. "It's refreshing to hear someone just ask."

"Oh…" Eiji breathes in understanding.

She glances at the redhead beside her. "You really don't mind listening?" she asks, still uncertain about his sincerity. She has met a lot of fake people in the past years, which leaves her guarded.

"Of course not! Tell me whatever you like. I'll listen." he assures her.

Ryumi takes a moment before gathering herself, "I was driven to practice. There was an important match coming up, one that could cement the start of a promising career." she starts out.

"I'm not sure how it happened myself, but I was told another driver didn't give us priority before turning into the road we were on. They were driving pretty fast. The car rammed the passenger side where I was sitting, hence why the right side of my body received the brunt of the impact. My shoulder was dislocated, my arm broken and my knee twisted up to the point where my tendons ruptured." she explains, staring at the brace that has been sitting for the past weeks around her knee, unhidden because… well… that damn skirt.

"The driver turned out to be the brother of my opponent in the finals… I understand how that looks, but I don't believe he did that on purpose. Peters… June… My opponent was also my best friend. And we always got along fine, her brother and me too. He always looked out for the both of us."

A frown etches deeply into her face. "He got hurt too, but no one seems to care about that. And nobody seemed to care how much the accusations hurt my friend. People believed what they wanted to believe, without taking our feelings into consideration. It was unfair. June won the finals of the competition and she deserved it, but she didn't get to enjoy it, because other people wouldn't let her."

"After a week in the hospital, I learned they weren't allowed, or didn't want to have further contact with me. I'm not sure which. But as I tried to come to terms that my career that I worked so hard for came to a standstill, I also had to come to terms that I had lost my best friend. When I started secluding myself after that, my parents taught it was best to have me move here, so I did." she finishes.

They sit in silence for a moment before Eiji speaks up. "I can't begin to imagine what that must be like. But Ryumi-chan, I promise you, you will have friends here that won't leave you." he promises.

"Eiji." she starts sternly, making his head snap up. "I don't want any pity." she states resolutely.

He nods, a serious look on his face. "Got it." His eyes then lower to her unspoiled lunch. "Ne, can I have that anago-sushi?" he asks, his eyes widened and a little drool gathering at the corner of his mouth.

Ryumi blinks in surprise at the sudden change of mood before smiling, happy to be diverted from the subject. "Go ahead. I don't like it that much."

"What?! No way! How can you even say that?" he gasps, before quickly picking out the treat from her lunchbox, stuffing it in his mouth. "Mmmh. Delicious~." he sings with his mouth full, smiling when he hears Ryumi laugh at his antics.

* * *

 **This chapter was a bit intense, and it finally revealed what happened to Ryumi. What do you guys think? Good chapter?**


	9. Chapter 9

"Mh. Mmmh mh. Mh mh mmmh." Eiji hums absentmindedly as he doodles on Ryumi's cast with a bright red marker.

Ryumi looks up from her own drawing they are assigned to make for art class so see he is drawing a miniature version of himself on there. "Eiji-kun. Did you finish your assignment yet?" she wonders.

"This is my assignment." he simply states, before starting on another figure that is starting to look a lot like Oishi.

They hear Fuji chuckle from Eiji's other side. "I don't think the teacher will grade that." he says, clearly amused.

"Why not? This is art too. You want to draw something on here too Fujiko?" he offers, leaning back. Fuji shrugs in reply before taking the marker from Eiji and drawing a little angry Ryoma on there and signing it. Ryumi shakes her head in amusement, knowing it will plague her little brother for as long as she still wears the cast.

It's been a few days since the drama occurred in their class and thing have been rather quiet since. It apparently helps to have two respected classmates to have your back, and the three have been a rather close-knit team since. The three of them, despite being so different from each other are just drawn in by each other somehow.

…

"Huh?" Momoshiro muses, taking a close look at Ryumi's cast that has been drawn full of miniature figures of the regulars, accompanied by a 70% grade mark. She can't believe their sensei actually graded it.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji grins, giving a thumbs up, satisfied with his work.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma muses, glaring at the chibi version of himself signed by Fuji before turning to his sister. "Are you staying for practice?" he questions, to which she shrugs.

"Only if it's okay with Tezuka-kun. I don't want to be in the way." she states, looking to the stoic boy for permission. They have some rigorous training to do after all. With Prefectural tournaments around the corner, they have a lot of work on their hands.

Tezuka nods. "It's fine." he agrees, knowing she will not disturb training.

As the regulars step inside the courts, a strong smell suddenly hit Ryumi's nose. "What is that?!" she gasps, quickly pulling her hands over her nose to hide her sense from the stench. She looks horrified at the liquid swishing around in the glass in front of her nose.

"Inui's special vegetable juice." Inui states, stepping back.

"Juice?! As if! I don't think that stuff's approved by any health or food association." she exclaims, seeing him grin creepily before he follows the others onto the court. She wonders what he's going to do with that, though she's almost afraid to find out.

Inui introduces the liquid torture as punishment for who loses on today's training, which consists on one on one's were a point must be made on for the defenders, not to be made within five hits. They can only use a part of the field, making it extra difficult for the attackers to gain that point they need. To make it even harder, they only get a five-rally match to decide the game.

Ryumi is amazed to find out how much the drink motivates everyone, but where there are winners, there are losers….

Kaidoh is first to strike out and the effect the drink seems to have scares Ryumi. Oishi is down next, leaving her to fan the two boys at once, hoping they will recover quickly.

Fuji is next to lose against Tezuka, but while he wanted to drink Inui's juice for some reason, he is disappointed when Tezuka accidentally drinks the juice from Inui's bottle, leaving him out. Surprisingly, the captain stays standing proudly, though Ryumi swore she saw his eye twitch.

Next up are Ryoma and Eiji. They both look very seriously, not wanting to drink the concoction that Inui presented them, as he replaced his Inui special vegetable juice for Golden Power Remix Inui juice. It's an odd brown color that leaves everyone's imagination running wild on what's in it.

Eiji flips his racket, staring Ryoma down. "I will never drink that juice!" he calls to the younger boy who smirks in reply.

"You don't need to be so serious. It looks tasty, Kikumaru-senpai." Ryoma taunts him.

Inui serves the ball for them, hitting it towards Eiji's side of the court. "I just can't lose to our o-chibi!" he shouts, hitting the ball in Ryoma's direction before running towards the net, the place he's most comfortable with.

"Aren't we serious, Kikumaru-senpai!" Ryoma calls, hitting the ball towards the corner. Eiji however dives towards it, hitting it back with relative ease.

Ryoma returns it, again hitting for the corner, since Eiji has moved further away from it, but he returns it by twisting in the air giving him more reach. Ryoma looks a bit startled. He hasn't played against Eiji before.

After the fourth hit on Ryoma's side, he takes a page out of Eiji's book and runs towards the net facing Eiji straight on.

"Oops… I forgot to explain… When the attacker goes for net play, he has to play the entire side of his court!" Inui explains, shocking Ryoma, because this isn't really in his favor.

Eiji however is confident he can end this now. "Like he said. Sorry about that o-chibi-chan!" he says, lobbing the ball over Ryoma and to the far corner.

Ryoma grits his teeth and runs as fast as he can to counter the ball, but Inui is right in his path. Surprisingly he doesn't stop and instead of waltzing right into Inui, he returns the ball by jumping and hitting his racket through his legs. Ryumi can't help but smile, seeing how versatile her little brother is and not afraid to take a risk.

Eiji looks shocked and has to rush to return the ball. He somehow makes it without looking where he's hitting. It will be an easy shot for Ryoma to return, but that is when Eiji calls out, "O-chibi-chan! It's already been five shots!"

Ryoma stares dumbfounded for a second knowing he's lost, but can't help but return the ball towards the now cheering Eiji, hitting him right in the chin. Ryoma really has no respect for his senpais.

"Hey Echizen! What do you think you're doing?! Geez… Inui! Give this kid as much Inui Juice Special or what ever it's called as possible!" Eiji shouts vengefully.

Ryumi cringes as she watches Ryoma drink what could be poisonous before he runs of the court in a hurry, soon hanging over the basins by the taps, hacking everything up again.

"That stuff is really no good." she mutters with a sigh before making her way over and running some cool water over his head until his breathing calms. She hopes that stuff never comes near her again.


	10. Chapter 10

It's about ten more days before the Seigaku tennis club has to get into action for the Prefectural matches. It's a good thing they have BYE for the first two rounds, meaning they don't have to play before the best eight teams are selected. It gives them more time to practice and prepare.

But… there are also other things to be done.

"No way." Ryumi states bluntly, making the three freshmen that are always hanging around Ryoma gasp.

"Amazing rejection!" Horio gasps.

"But… Nee-san." Ryoma starts object, only to be silenced by the stern look in her eyes.

"You need to socialize more. Taking Sakuno-chan to the racket stringers might be good for you. You're always so dense when it comes to other people's emotions." she lectures.

"Big sister wisdom." Kachiro gapes.

"Besides, I'm going to the hospital tomorrow. This cast is coming off whether the doc wants it or not. I've had an itch for days now, and I'm going insane. So you enjoy your date ne?" she winks.

Ryoma looks at her boredly. "It's not a date. I'm just showing her-…" he starts to explain, only to be cut off.

"I don't care! If I call it a date, it's a date!" she counters, leaving no room for arguments before turning on her heel and leaving the four standing there.

"Scary~." Katsuo mutters, leaving Ryoma to sigh.

…

"Ah~. I'm so glad that cast is off." Ryumi sighs again with relief as she and her mom arrive home.

Reiko chuckles at her daughter. "So you keep saying."

"Oh. Nanako-chan. Where is dad?" Ryumi asks her cousin when they have made their way inside.

She looks up from her homework, thinking for a moment. "I think he went after Ryoma-kun…" she muses.

"Mh? Doesn't he have anything better to do?" Ryumi mutters, shaking her head before turning to go to her room.

"I don't think so. He went to spy on you last week when you went to hang out with your friends." Nanako says, making Ryumi screech to a halt.

"What?!" she shouts, turning around, fire in her eyes. "Old man…" she seethes. "I'm coming for you! Nanako, I'm going to borrow your bike!" she calls, already on her way outside.

"Be careful!" her mom calls after her, but she's already gone.

The two women share a look. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that…" Nanako sighs in dismay.

…

"Echizen-san?" a voice questions, making Ryumi look up from her position, draped over the steering wheel, panting. "Are you okay?" Tezuka asks.

"Tezuka-kun? Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired… and hungry." she complains, sighing. She has given up in trying to find her dad. She will give him an earful tonight. "Do you know a place that serves ice cream?"

He shakes his head, wearing his usual stoic face. "Kawamura's sushi is close though." he points out.

She blinks in surprise. "Kawamura's?" she wonders.

He nods, walking in that direction, causing Ryumi to fall in to step with him automatically, bike by her side. "His father's place." he explains curtly.

"Your cast has come off?" he questions after a moment of silence. It was starting to get a bit awkward. The both of them have never really spoken much before and aren't exactly close.

"Yeah, finally." she sighs, looking down at her arm that still has folds in its skin from the cast. She didn't throw it away though. She had them saw in between Eiji's and Fuji's drawings; For some reason she wanted to keep them.

"And your knee?" he questions next, seemingly unafraid of a bad reaction to the direct approach. However, Ryumi doesn't mind that sort of thing.

"It has a long way to go." she answers honestly. "I'm receiving therapy, but progress is slow."

He nods in understanding. If anyone knows about slow progress, it's him. "And tennis? Will you ever go back to it?" he wonders, assessing her as she looks into the distance, not seemingly looking at anything in particular.

"I want to. More than anything." she admits quietly before pausing. She turns to look up at him. "Can I show you something?" she asks.

When he nods she puts the bike on its stand before bending down and rolling up the right leg of her three-quarter shorts, revealing the brace. She pulls it off, the velcro tearing apart. Tezuka's eyes widen slightly at the surgical scar sitting beneath.

"Even if it heals enough to use properly, it will always remain a weakness. If I play again, I cannot play like I used to. Besides, people will know about it and use it against me. If it comes to matches, it will not be an easy comeback." she explains.

"I see." he muses, watching as she puts the brace back on before hiding it from sight.

"You know how it is right? That's why I'm telling you." she says, surprising him a little as she glances at his arm. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I wish it was just my arm, I can switch, so I don't mind that. But I need both my legs…"

"I've had people tell me to give up because of this, try something else, put my dream aside… But I can't." she finishes.

"I understand." Tezuka says after a moment. "Your brother… he is the same way, isn't he?" he asks, although already knowing the answer.

"Of course. Who do you think he gets it from?" she replies with a smile as they start walking again.

"Speaking of which, I want to play a match with him soon." he says, surprising her a little, but she still smiles.

"Want to rattle his cage?" she wonders, making him smile the tiniest of smiles at her wording.

"Something like that. He has potential, but a bad habit of copying someone other's play." he says.

Ryumi nods in understanding. "So you've noticed? That's fine. He needs a wake-up call. It's time he stepped out of the shadows and starts playing for himself and develop his own style. I would appreciate it if you could help him achieve that Tezuka-kun. I know you will not regret it." she tells him.

He nods before halting, showing they have reached their destination.

…

"Ah~. My stomach is grateful to you! Thank you for lunch, Tezuka-kun! Being hungry leaves me in a bad mood." Ryumi tells him as they step out of the sushi-shop an hour later. "I'm sorry for having you pay. I was in such a rush, I didn't remember to bring a wallet. Embarrassing." she laughs awkwardly.

"It's fine." he waves off.

"Let me treat you to ice cream sometime then." she offers.

Tezuka has no time to reply before Ryumi freezes glaring at something down the street. She bristles, making him look over to see someone hiding in the bushes.

"Oi! I see you!" Ryumi shouts, rushing towards the bike leaning against the building causing the person to dart off in a hurry.

"Come back here! Oyaji!" she shouts, cycling after him, leaving Tezuka in the dust.

The door to Kawamura's shop slides open, Kawamura peeking out in curiosity. "What was that?" he wonders.

Tezuka slides his glasses back up his nose. "A clap of thunder." he replies stoically, making Kawamura look to the sky confused while Tezuka muses on how interesting the Echizen family is.


	11. Chapter 11

Ryumi reaches over Ryoma's head, shutting off his alarm since he won't do anything about it. "Hey, time to wake up. Geez. Why do you always oversleep? Don't you have a test today?" she complains, picking up Karupin from his bed to cuddle the cat.

"Why are you always up early?" Ryoma complains in return, though getting out of bed, making Ryumi smile in success.

"Karupin always likes hanging out with you huh?" Ryumi muses as she follows him out of the room.

"Yeah." he replies sleepily, petting the cat in her arms before making his way for the bathroom.

"Hey. I'm going to go ahead. I promised Fuji-kun to help set up the classroom for a project since sensei asked him, but it's a lot of work." she tells him, putting Karupin down as she heads for downstairs.

Ryoma looks over, toothbrush already in his mouth. "Fuji-senpai annoys me. Promise to never date him."

Ryumi laughs at that. "He'll leave you be if you don't react. You're just easy to pick on. And he and I are only friends. You are just afraid I'll neglect my little brother when I get a boyfriend, but don't worry, I won't." she promises before taking off.

"That's not what I said!" he shouts after her.

…

Ryumi listens to the droning of the teacher's voice explaining a poem when she hears Fuji talk behind her. "Eiji. Have you ever seen an Himalayan spotted cat before?" he asks, making her look over her shoulder.

"Himalayan spotted cat? What's that?" Eiji wonders, before the teacher calls him for his turn to read, making him stammer because he was distracted.

"Page 87, from line 6." Fuji whispers, much to Eiji's gratitude.

"Where was it?" Ryumi whispers to Fuji over her shoulder, making him point at the tree outside the window. "Hm. Could it be…?" she mutters to herself.

During lunch she scrambles to hurry up so she can go see Ryoma. "Careful, careful." Eiji tells her as she chokes on a grain of rise, patting her back. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"

Ryumi swallows. "Thanks Eiji-kun. It's just… a cat." she tells him before quickly gathering her things.

"Huh? A cat?" he asks, confused watching her nearly run from the classroom. He looks to Fuji, wondering is he knows what it's about.

He shrugs. "Maybe it's about that cat I saw during class."

"The Hama-Hima, what's it called cat?" Eiji wonders.

"The Himalayan spotted cat, yes." Fuji corrects.

"Hmmm. Maybe Ryumi-chan is really into cats?" he suggests with a big smile. "I really like cats too. Ne, Fujiko. We have a lot in common no?"

Fuji can't help but chuckle knowingly. "Yes Eiji."

…

Ryumi runs across Ryoma in the hallway and since he thought he saw Karupin, confirming her suspicions, they set off to look for him.

They look all over the school grounds, but without success. "Maybe he went home again? Or maybe it wasn't him after all." Ryumi offers her worried brother in an attempt to console him.

"Maybe." he sighs.

"Let's keep an eye out this afternoon. If he's really here, he'll show up." she tells him, patting his head. "Now we should go back to class, or we'll be late." she urges.

He finally relents and sulks off back to his class, making her look after him worriedly. _'Karupin really means a lot to him huh?'_ she muses before turning to go back to her own class.

…

"Anything yet?" she asks Ryoma after class.

"Nothing." he replies, still sulking.

"Let me check at home okay? You go ahead to practice." Ryumi tells him, sending him off before heading home, hoping to find the cat there.

However, when she arrives there is no trace of him. She looks up surprised when Ryoma comes running in early.

"Was there no practice?" she wonders.

"There was…" he starts guiltily. "I lent Momo's bike after hearing that Karupin was on the roof during lunch. He was gone already though. Did you find him here?" he asks impatiently, making her frown.

"No, not yet." she says, making him worry even more.

"I'll check again!" he says hurriedly before turning the house upside down.

"I'll go check on the road again!" Ryumi calls after him, hurrying outside to search the way towards school.

On her way, she spots four figures heading towards her. She quickly recognizes them as Eiji, Oishi, Momoshiro and Tezuka. "Hey guys!" she calls.

A cat meowing diverts her attention to the bundle in Momoshiro's jacket. Karupin's head peeks out, him looking at her with his big eyes.

"Oh, Karupin! You've found him." she breathes in relief, welcoming the cat into her arms as it jumps at her.

"Ah? So it was your cat you were looking for during lunch?" Eiji wonders. She nods in reply, cuddling Karupin close.

"Ryoma will be so relieved. Thank you guys, for bringing him home." she tells them.

Oishi as usual waves it off. "It's no problem at all."

The five of them walk the way back to her home, Momoshiro opening the door for Ryumi since she has her hands full. "Ryoma, look who's here!" she calls, before hearing feet rush over.

Ryoma comes to a skidding halt to see his cat safely in his sister's arms and the guys behind her. "They found him at school." she tells him, handing Karupin over, smiling gently as he looks relieved to the point of tearing up.

"Thank you." he tells his senpais, quickly hiding his emotions as he bows.

Tezuka steps forward. "This is from Ryuzaki-sensei." he tells Ryoma, handing him a note.

"I'll leave your bag here." Oishi says, putting down Ryoma's tennis bag by the door.

"See you tomorrow!" Eiji calls cheerfully as they all retreat except for Momo who is invited for a game as thanks for letting Ryoma use his bike.

"Things are going to be exciting won't they Karupin?" Ryumi asks the cat as she watches the two boys play. He meows seemingly in agreement, purring as she pets him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them.**

* * *

"Let's see…" Ryumi muses, looking around for familiar faces. She just can't seem to find the court where Seigaku will be playing. But… "Ah! Score."

She approaches him from behind to see him glaring at the backs of several Seigaku regulars. "Morning, Yuuta-kun." she greets, startling him.

"It's you! What are you doing here?" he questions, looking annoyed.

Ryumi tilts her head. "Cheer Seigaku on. What else?" she shrugs.

"That's not what I meant. I meant what are you doing here? Talking to me?" he nearly growls. He looks pretty riled up.

"Am I not allowed to?" she asks innocently, looking hurt.

"Huh? W-well…." he starts to stammer, looking taken aback.

She smiles up at him suddenly. "Don't worry Yuuta-kun. You'll do well, I can see you're focused. I'll cheer for you too okay?" she tells him before making her way to her friends, leaving him taken aback and blushing.

"Who was that?" he hears Mizuki ask from behind him. "A fan?"

Yuuta scoffs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Hardly."

…

"What do you mean, he isn't here yet?"

"We thought he would come with you." Momoshiro tells Ryumi.

She shakes her head in denial. "I had an appointment early this morning. Mom just dropped me off."

"Seventeen minutes ago to be precise. You got lost again." Inui points out, receiving a glare.

"If you noticed, you could have come to get me." she complains. "Anyway, I can't believe he's late, today of all days. I set his alarm for him! Ugh, when I see him…" she growls annoyed. How can Ryoma keep oversleeping?! "So what now? I don't have a cell phone…"

"If we don't register with eight people by 10 a.m., we'll be disqualified." Fuji sighs.

Kawamura looks around worriedly. "Th-That'll be bad…"

"This sucks." Momo sighs.

"What about Oishi?" Tezuka cuts in, noting Ryumi look more and more uncomfortable. "Has he managed to contact Echizen yet?"

"Doesn't seem like it." Eiji mutters before smiling awkwardly when Ryumi starts banging her head against his arm softly. He pats her head affectionately.

"So ashamed…" she breathes.

"Huh? What's up, pre-game meeting?" a voice asks, pulling their attention to a man and a woman. Ryumi is sure she saw them around before. "If you don't register soon, you'll get disqualified you know." he points out.

"Inoue-san. Well, you see… Ryoma-kun isn't…" first-year Katsuo tries to explain to the reporter before Oishi comes running up.

"Hey! I contacted Echizen!" he calls before coming to a stop by them. "Seems like he helped a pregnant woman who was in labor get to the hospital." he explains.

Ryumi looks at him skeptically. _'There is no way…'_ Seems no one else is buying that fib either. "I'm taping that alarm to his head tonight."

"If we wait for him, we won't meet the deadline." Ryuzaki-sensei speaks up. "He'll get his scolding later…" she tells them before pulling a cap from her bag. "We'll have to register somehow…." before turning around and holding out the cap to Horio, who looks startled.

Soon he has Kaidoh's jersey on and the cap on his head. "Okay, go register yourself, otouto-san~." Ryumi teases as she pushes the shaking Horio after the regulars.

"Otouto-san? Wait, you're Echizen Ryumi?" the man, Inoue asks, making her look up at him.

"Yeah, Inoue-san wasn't it? Hey! Aren't you the guy that's been pestering my dad for an interview?" she asks in realization, making him look shocked.

"Pestering?" he repeats while the young woman next to him laughs at him behind her hand.

Inoue clears his throat, managing a smile. "Anyway, it's nice to see you here. Cheering your brother on?" he asks, earning a nod. "That's good. He's lucky to have you here. Did you practice together? He must be learning a lot from you." he then continues, unbeknownst to him turning the conversation in the wrong direction.

Ryumi knows he means well, but… "I suppose." she mutters her mood turning sour, making him blink surprised. "Excuse me, my throat is a bit dry." she excuses herself before shuffling off.

"Mmh." Ryuzaki hums in thought as she watches the girl go.

…

A dark pit; that is what she landed herself in. It happens sometimes, and this is one of those times. She just can't find anything positive to think about. It usually means she needs a moment to gather herself; that, or have someone pull her out.

She flattens the now empty ponta can in her hands with her palms before tossing it at the trashcan, but missing. It doesn't hit the ground however when a racket catches it and hits it in the bin after.

"What are you looking so moody for? How can you cheer anybody on like that?" Yuuta asks, resting his racket on his shoulder.

Ryumi shrugs. "Can't always walk around with a smile on my face, can I? It gets tiring."

"Sure." he replies, but not really believing it. He looks around awkwardly for a moment before sighing. "Look, if something is bothering you, it's not good to stay on your own like this. Besides, your brother just arrived. Heard he was looking for you." he tells her.

"Oh?" she murmurs, reluctantly getting to her feet. "I need to kick his ass for being late."

Yuuta nods. "You do that." he says, watching her go. He can't help but wonder what made her look so down when she was so cheerful only a while earlier.

…

"Nani?" Eiji asks when Fuji elbows him. He looks over where they see Ryumi return, a familiar look in her eyes.

Eiji puffs up his cheeks. "Mou, who went and said something stupid now?" he pouts as they watch her scold Ryoma for being late, but not really putting her heart in it, making Ryoma too notice that something is up.

"Rescue mission, 8B?" Fuji suggests. They have been taking it upon themselves to do something about it when their friend feels down as both can't stand it to see her linger in this state when she does.

Eiji nods determinately in agreement. "Take the lead." Fuji suggests.

"Hoi hoi!"

He dashes up towards Ryumi, pulling out his cell phone. "Ryumi-chan~. Come on, let's take a picture!" he suggests. "For o-chibi's first Prefectual tournament with Seigaku."

He pulls her and Ryoma in, squashing the three of them together before starting to snap selfies.

"Why do you have to be in them senpai?" Ryoma complains, his right cheek right up to Eiji's left.

"If I'm taking pictures, I should at least be in them." is Eiji's logic. "Now smile!" he urges.

Ryoma only frowns deeper. "I don't wanna."

"Mom would like a picture…" Ryumi mutters, making Ryoma sigh before relenting, managing one single smile for a picture.

"Take a look!" Eiji motions to his phone and pumps his fist in success when Ryumi manages a smile, meaning she has been distracted from whatever negative thought ran trough her head.

"You are so handsome chibisuke!" she coos, making her brother blush in embarrassment.

Eiji nods in agreement. "I'll have it printed okay?"

Ryumi nods. "Thanks Eiji." she tells him, making him grin and put up a victory sign.

"Echizen!" Tezuka calls, making them look over. "Your match is starting."


	13. Chapter 13

It was easy, very easy. Seigaku didn't lose a point and the next match is against Akiyama.

It's odd. This school is not particularly renowned, but they seemed to play in a way that looks like they have worked hard to find the right way to play against their opponent. Like Inui usually does. Mmh…

"Mh? Who's that?" Ryumi wonders, seeing a guy with dark hair and blue eyes observing the matches. He looks to be from a different school, the uniform is familiar.

"St. Rudolph's new manager, Mizuki." Inui states, shifting his glasses.

"St. Rudolph?" Ryumi muses. "Shouldn't he be with his team?" she wonders, but receives no answer as Inui's focus in on the boy on the opposite side of the court. She feels a tension growing between the two. Just what is it with that boy?

After the match, which was won of course by Seigaku, Inui disappeared for a moment before returning with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong, Inui?" Tezuka asks him, wondering what is bothering him so.

"Tezuka…" he starts. "We have to be careful of St Rudolph. They will do anything to win."

 _'_ _You have to use people you can use, right?'_ are the words that still ring in Inui's mind from the conversation he just had with Mizuki.

…

"Excuse me…" Ryumi mutters as she pushes past people. It's rather busy at the courts and she has her hands full of drinks for the guys. She thought I'd be nice to treat them since they are working so hard.

"Wha!" she shouts in shock when a body suddenly lands in front of her in the form of a boy with bright orange hair and blue eyes.

"Ah, hello there, pretty girl!" he beams, making her look at him annoyed.

"What do you mean; 'Hello there'? You scared the living daylights out of me. Who jumps down in front of people like that?!" she scolds as her heart is still pounding, making him stammer.

"B-but, I was only going to offer carrying those for you." he tries as she walks around him.

"Never mind that! Weirdo…" she mutters to herself the last part.

The boy sighs in dismay. "Bummer~. My horoscope lied to me it seems. Not so lucky with girls today…"

…

"I'm so excited!" Tomoka calls as the match against St Rudolph is about to start.

Sakuno smiles excitedly. "First up, it's Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai in doubles."

"Mh. It would be nice if they stopped glaring at each other." Ryumi muses behind them, making the girls look up at her curiously, just only noticing her there. "Please let me watch with you girls." she winks.

"Of course!" the duo calls happily.

"Oh oh." Ryumi mutters, as the two boys are about to get into a fight.

Ryoma looks up at others. "Were they always like that?"

Fuji nods. "They have been rivals before you even joined the team."

Eiji turns to Inui, "Inui, show them that…" he tells the bespectacled boy who whips out a booklet, flipping it open to show last year's club pictures of Momo and Kaidoh.

Sakuno and Tomoka gush over how cute they are.

"Those two have been going at it since they joined the team." Inui explains.

Ryumi sighs. "Can they overcome their differences long enough to finish a game?" she wonders, looking over to see them facing the Kisarazu Atsushi and

Yanagisawa Shinya pair.

Surprisingly they work better together than expected and they somehow get ahead. That is until that Mizuki guy seems to give them a few silent orders. That is when things are starting to turn bad.

They start making long rallies as the opponent tries to lure out Kaidoh's Snake for some reason, but he won't give it to them. The time ticks by and the sun beats down on the players, slowly exhausting them.

After a short break and a quick argument, they are ready to start fresh, but it their fighting spirit gets interrupted by Mizuki calling a time out to sweep a line that got covered with dust.

"Tch. He should have done it before. I bet he waited on purpose to disrupt Momo and Kaidoh's unity." Ryumi scoffs.

The first years look up at her in surprise. "Would he do that?" Kachiro wonders.

Ryumi sees Mizuki glance their way with a smug smile. "He would. Right Inui?" she asks. "It's what you meant before wasn't it?"

Inui nods, a frown etched on his face.

They watch as Mizuki saunters by them, pausing in front of Inui, "How unfortunate, Inui-kun… The Bench coach is the only one who can give players advice during the match.

"A Bench coach is a player who has registered. You're only able to supervise the players." Inui counters.

Mizuki smiles uncaringly. "If you made it as a regular, you could have given them advice in the court." he just about chuckles, insulting Inui.

"Advice? About what?" Inui asks. "There is nothing to advice on." he says sharply, making a few of them hide a smirk.

Before Mizuki can go further, the umpire calls him to return to his seat.

"To think the match just started… We can surely expect more manipulating from him." Ryumi says bitterly. "I don't like him already." she muses, pulling at a lock of her hair irritably, earning a chorus of hums.

…

It's five against two in St Rudolph's advantage when the game starts to turn around. Momo and Kaidoh are fired up and Kaidoh looks ready to show his opponents the real Snake.

When it's his chance to return, he returns it, to everyone's surprise, not with the Snake they are used to, but what he calls the Boomerang snake. The ball curves right around the pole and even under the umpire's chair before homing in on the opponent's side of the court.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma muses, silencing the cheering. "That's incomplete right?" he asks, earning a silent nod from Kaidoh. "If it's singles it'd be out." Ryoma points out. And he's right.

"I see." Fuji muses. "That's why Kaidoh was put in doubles this time."

"Yeah." Inui answers. "And one more reason; There's a guy who gets heated up seeing a move like that." he explains, watching Momo start to simmer inside as he doesn't like being outdone by his rival.

Now with Kaidoh alternating between his Boomerang snake and his Snake shots, Atsushi and Shinya's uncertainty starts to grow and they are starting to make mistakes, giving Momo the opportunity to shine with his smashes. The points are rolling in…. Even though they still bicker like children.

The game ends when Momo takes a difficult lob into a Dunk smash and it bounces so hard up into Shinya's face that it knocks him out cold.

"Did not see that coming…" Ryumi breathes. "Anyway, that means you're up next Eiji, Oishi."

Oishi nods. "That's right. Let's do it Eiji." he says, receiving a grin and a thumbs up in reply.


	14. Chapter 14

This is bad… The Golden pair is on the loss. They have been losing a lot of points with St Rudolph's tactic of targeting Eiji. He looks really tired and is loosing his focus. But how?

"How annoying…" Ryumi mutters as she squints her eyes.

Fuji looks over to her curiously. "What's wrong?"

"So it's not just me." Ryoma muses. "Do you see five or six balls as well, nee-san?"

Ryumi nods. "I just can't focus on one. No wonder Eiji is getting tired." she says worriedly.

"That must be it!" Inui exclaims. "Akazawa habitually hits his backhand by hitting the ball at the top center. Instead of using the sweet spot, he uses the impact from the racket to return it." he explains.

"That ball has the tendencies to show lines of multiple balls. Normal people won't notice. But Eiji's ability to distinguish moving objects is unusually high, which means he will subconsciously chase after all the balls." Inui finishes.

Ryoma starts rubbing at his eyes irritably. "My eyes hurt. They're getting tired."

Ryumi pats her little brother's head while glancing at Eiji worriedly. He still looks determined, but visibly tired.

Luckily, this is a doubles game and Eiji is not on his own. Oishi sees his chance and lobs the ball right on the backline with his signature Moon volley. Finally they get a break and thanks to Oishi, the playing field has leveled out again.

After a short break, the Golden pair falls back to the Australian formation. With both of them starting in the center and only moving after Oishi's serve, Akazawa and Kaneda can't plan ahead in their return. It's very effective and well played out, only because Eiji and Oishi match so well together.

Frustrated, Akazawa suddenly releases a loud frustrated yell, stunning everybody. "Is he okay?" Sakuno wonders.

Ryoma shrugs. "Who knows."

Kaneda tries to speak with his partner, but gets pushed back, only to have him yell at his captain to get his act together and stop behaving like he's playing a singles match.

Ryumi claps softly. "That was very brave." However, Akazawa doesn't seem to agree.

Kaneda however seems to have the right idea as he seems to be more experienced in playing doubles and steps back after Oishi's next serve and finds the opening he has been looking for.

The ball is out, but it was close. Oishi and Eiji seem to realize this too. They are about to be countered in their formation.

During the next break, they find themselves behind on points again and to make matters worse, Eiji is still very tired. He's completely out of breath. That blurred return from Akazawa earlier took a lot out of him. He's even too tired to get up and return to the court when the umpire asks for it.

"Eiji…" Ryumi breathes worriedly.

After a moment he manages to get up and drag himself to the court, but once there he shuts down completely, leaving Oishi to play two-against-one. He's really working hard, but there is no stopping Akazawa and Kaneda on his own.

St Rudolph is only one point away from victory. Oishi runs to catch a drop volley, but when he does he finds himself trapped.

Akazawa goes for a smash that Oishi stands no chance in returning. It's over…

They don't believe they ever heard him curse as he pumps his legs as he tries to make it anyway, but he can't, or needs to… A blur rushes passed him.

"Wow!" several gasps fill the court as Eiji seems to have snapped out of his stupor and makes a saving return. He lands harshly on his back, but whips up like he can't be bothered, looking all fresh and ready.

"Oishi, sorry for the wait." he apologizes cheerfully. "I finished recharging."

Oishi looks relieved giving his partner a high five.

Ryumi scoffs, but can't help but smile. "That guy… How dare he scare us like that?"

"Mh? Were you worried?" Fuji asks cheekily.

"Huh?" she startles before looking away. "Not so much." Fuji raises a brow at her in disbelief.

They are slowly making a comeback and Mizuki is simmering in his annoyance. Oishi equals the game by pretending to do a Moon volley, but at the last second going for a drop volley. It's 6-6.

"12 point tiebreak, Oishi to serve!" calls the umpire. It is all or nothing.

The Golden pair quickly runs ahead and Eiji is ready to make the next point count as he receives a chance ball, but much to everyone's shock, he suddenly stumble before crashing. His racket skids across ground.

He gets up, but… "He's still tired huh? You just can't recover fully within two games." Ryumi mutters to herself. "Well, they tried." she smiles. "St Rudolph is really good."

They step off the court, looking apologetic. "My battery just ran out." Eiji mutters, breathing hard.

"Good work." Tezuka compliments either way.

"Sorry guys. I'll leave the rest to you." Oishi tells the others helping Eiji to the side.

"Hey guys." Ryumi greets, handing them their drinks. "That was a great match. I had fun watching." she tells them genuinely.

"Thank you. I'm glad." Oishi nods in appreciation while Eiji manages a small smile, a glint in his eye.

"Well, I'm going to find chibisuke. Can't have him be late again." she sighs. "He'll make me look bad." she winks before setting off, glancing over to see Mizuki stiffly and silently walking off as well. He looks pissed off. _'Not really going according to plan huh, Mizuki-kun?'_


	15. Chapter 15

Ryumi finds her little brother at a practice court, looking to be lost in thought, a determined smile on his face. Sakuno is with him. "All of you, bring it on." he mutters to himself.

The look Sakuno gives him at that makes Ryumi smile. She really likes him doesn't she? If only he wasn't so dense.

She sighs, almost sorry for interrupting, but Ryoma needs to get a move on. "Oi, it's time for your match chibisuke. Stop dilly-dallying." Ryumi urges, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Right." he mutters, following after her and Sakuno as they make their way to the court he will play on.

"You're up against Fuji Yuuta, aren't you?" she asks, making Ryoma hum in recognition. "You two are a bit alike." she states.

"How so?" Ryoma asks while Sakuno blinks curiously.

Ryumi smiles knowingly. "He and our Fuji, you and oyaji." she states and it's all he needs to know.

"Wait up… _Our_ Fuji?" he huffs, eying his sister who sighs in annoyance.

"Don't go there!" she scolds before winking at Sakuno. "My otouto is scared to death I like Fuji a bit too much for his liking." she tells the girl, making her blush. "It's not true though." she adds before the girl gets any ideas.

…

Yuuta and Ryoma shake hands while Yuuta is looking more and more annoyed by the whispers of him being Fuji Syusuke's little brother. He really doesn't like standing in his brother's shadow.

It gets even worse when Ryoma has to provoke him by pointing this out. Ryumi scoffs. "Like he has the right to say anything." she mutters under her breath.

Inui explains Yuuta's reputation to the freshmen as the Left-handed killer, saying that lefties carry an advantage and are often stronger players. Inoue-san picks up from there and draws out where the advantage lies in serves, captivating the freshman in his explanation. Maybe he should become a teacher instead of a journalist.

Ryumi looks at her left hand, which is also her dominant one, though she can make due with her right as well. It's something that runs in the family and gives them a right out advantage when playing.

She looks up when she hears the umpire start the match. It's Yuuta's serve.

"Yuuta-kun looks really determined. He'll surely make things hard for Ryoma." she states with a smile.

"Eh? You don't sound worried." Eiji notes.

Ryumi shrugs. "I'm sure Yuuta-kun is tough, but Ryoma's arrogance isn't there for no reason."

"Is that right?" he muses. "Ne, you sound really familiar with Fujiko's little brother." he remarks, curiosity in his large eyes.

Ryumi chuckles. "We've met before. He points me in the right direction every time."

Fuji tilts his head with a small smile; glad to hear Yuuta isn't entirely bitter and cold like he tends to act.

…

Yuuta's Rising shot is pretty good. It's very fast and helps him to get ahead on Ryoma quickly. Meanwhile, Ryumi sometimes glances at Fuji to gauge his reaction, but he's not really showing anything except a neutral face.

Tezuka must be a bit worried, because he steps up to him. "This is a complicated situation for you, Fuji."

"Why's that?" Fuji asks. "I'm okay with it, if Yuuta's okay with it." he states, though he can't hide the hint of sadness.

He and Yuuta have a really complicated relationship it seems. Ryumi doesn't remember if Ryoma was ever bothered by anyone calling him her little brother, or Ryoga's. He only gets ticked off by being called Nanjiro's son. It's sad that Yuuta resent his brother so much.

She watches as Yuuta returns Ryoma's Twist serve with relative ease, showing just how good he is in using his Rising shot for using the right moment to return it. Judging from Ryoma's look, it's just what he wanted to see, how good Yuuta actually is. But only Yuuta realizes this as he narrows her eyes in irritation.

"The Rising shot is fast. It feels like as soon as it's served, it's back again." Kawamura muses worriedly.

"That means our boy can't get to the net quick enough." Eiji realizes.

"If he can't get to the net and the ball goes behind him, then…" Kawamura starts.

"You're right. This is bad….nya." Eiji finishes.

Kawamura raises a brow at the red headed boy. "Eiji, what are you doing?" he wonders, making the other boy look at him confused.

"Nya?"

"Huh? Did you just say 'nya'?" Ryumi asks before looking a bit star struck. She pinches Eiji's cheek. "You are too cute!"

"Ouch ouch!" he complains, rubbing his red cheek.

Meanwhile, Ryoma tries again and of course Yuuta returns, but somehow Ryoma made it to the net this time and managed a return and a point at that. He's really quick. It caught everyone off guard.

"My little brother is so cool!" Ryumi exclaims, trying to have another go at Eiji's cheek, who opts to hide behind Kawamura.

It seems Ryoma has gotten better against left-handed players, all thanks to Tezuka. Shortly before the tournament started, they had their match. Ryoma told his sister little about it, but she could see something had changed within him after that, and for the better. Has he improved well enough to beat Yuuta? She believes so. But he isn't there yet.

…

Yuuta… he pulled out another trick from his sleeve; the Twist Spin shot. It's fast and powerful and after hitting the court, it rises so high that Ryoma can't reach. Yuuta is slowly running ahead on points again.

Ryoma tries several things to solve this predicament. But his effort results in faults, though he is improving.

"Hey!" he calls across the court, not facing Yuuta. "You shouldn't use that Twist-something that much." he tells Yuuta.

"Ah. It's like that." Ryumi mutters, standing back a bit as she copies the movement Yuuta makes with his shot.

"What are you doing Ryumi-senpai?" Horio asks, but receives no answer as she flexes her limb a few times. She looks up in Fuji's direction, who watches her with his sharp blue eyes.

"Dangerous…" she breathes, making his eyes widen slightly before whipping around to look at his younger brother.


	16. Chapter 16

Ryoma has found the perfect way to counter Yuuta's shot, which he insists on using. It's the Drive B. He slides up under the shot before returning it. Now he can return Yuuta's shot before it even bounces and he won't even have to worry about reach. It's brilliant.

"I just sealed your Lefty-killer, the Twist Spin shot. What'll you do now?" Ryoma asks, looking confident. "Your big brother isn't the only strong one here. Your goal might be to beat your big brother, but… I'm aiming much higher." he tells Yuuta, pointing at the sky.

Yuuta frowns. "You'll have to beat me first, before you can go higher!"

"Of course." Ryoma agrees, clearly planning to do just that. And soon he is gaining on Yuuta in points before eventually surpassing him.

"You're doing great Ryoma! Just a little longer." Ryumi tells him when they have a short break. He gives her the thumbs up in reply.

She then glances over to Yuuta who is talking to Mizuki. For some reason, Mizuki doesn't look worried, but smug. She doubts that predicts any good. "But be careful till the end."

There is no need however, because Yuuta continued to do his thing and Mizuki's smile slowly fell. Something did change about Yuuta's play however during the last game. He looked to be having more fun.

"Game, set and match for Seigaku's Echizen. 6-4!" calls the umpire, ending the game and causing loud cheers to erupt.

Next up, will be Fuji against Mizuki himself. Mizuki gets up to ready himself while Fuji follows him with his eyes, a cold look in them. Because, who dares let his brother use a shot that could be dangerous to him?

He steps into the court and retrieves his racket. "Tezuka, do you feel like playing?" he asks.

"Hm?" is his only reply.

Fuji stands up, looking determined. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like we'll get to you this time." he says with conviction. The look in his eyes would make anyone shiver. Ryumi knows exactly why he's upset. Mizuki has played his brother, but she is sure he won't get away with it.

"We'll now start with the second singles between Seigaku's Fuji and St Rudolph's Mizuki!" the umpire calls.

They reach across the net to shake hands, but at the last moment Fuji retracts his, leaving Mizuki stunned for a moment. Finally he chuckles, waving it off before starting the match.

Fuji starts to serve, but somehow, Mizuki returns them all at Fuji's weak spots, not giving him a chance. He really has done a lot of research. Fuji's losing, and he's losing hard…

"Game won by St Rudolph. 5-0. Change court!"

"This is bad." Ryumi mutters before glancing over at Yuuta. He looks beaten. He may not be very fond of his brother, but he hates to see him done in like this as well.

As Mizuki and Fuji pass each other, close by Yuuta, Fuji pauses. "Mizuki. I'm going to ask this, just to be sure; Did you teach Yuuta that Twist Spin shot even though you knew the damage it'd do to his shoulder?" he asks, surprising Yuuta.

"Winning's the most important thing." Mizuki answers uncaringly. "To me, there are casualties to victory." he explains before they part, leaving Yuuta shocked.

Fuji's expression tells nothing as he takes a different racket from his bag before returning to his side of the court.

Inui pushes his glasses further up his nose. "Did you really get the correct data?" he mutters, leaving those around him to wonder what he means.

"The only person whom I can't correctly get data from is Fuji." he tells them.

They watch on as the match continues and for the first time, Fuji manages to win a point. Mizuki is stumped. He did not expect this.

"That shot just now…was aimed at my stronger side." Fuji reveals.

Ryumi smirks, knowing this is the point where Fuji will turn things around and show everyone why they call him a prodigy. Never mind him being far behind in points. He will crush Mizuki.

Mizuki looks to be in sheer panic as Fuji gains point after point.

"Fuji isn't the kind that allows others to know his weaknesses." Inui declares. "He only thought he knew them because of his arrogance." he says, referring to Mizuki. Certainly he feels like he's getting some entertainment out of it.

"Game and match for Seigaku, 7-5!" the umpire calls, ending the match.

Ryumi looks to the side to see they have gained new onlookers. Hyotei was it?

A sudden scream makes her look back to see Mizuki on his knees. "Jeesh, he's dramatic." she sighs as he cusses out Fuji and accuses him of playing with him, which she's sure he did.

"Thank you, for taking care of my brother." Fuji states simply.

…

They watched a few more games, seeing Fudomine win against Hyotei. That's good. They really improved. But that concludes the day. The next matches will be next week.

Ryumi sighs tiredly as she and Ryoma walk home from the bus station. "I'm so tired~. It's so hot~. Why can't you be taller chibisuke? You could carry me home." Ryumi complains, making Ryoma roll his eyes at her antics.

"Mada mada dane."

"Hey Ryoma." she calls, suddenly sounding serious, making him turn to her. "Hey Ryoma. Have you ever… Have you ever resented me, for being ahead of you?" she asks unsurely, making him blink up at her in surprise before looking to the ground in thought.

"No, I don't think so." he answers after a moment. "Our style is too different and I guess because you're a girl, people didn't mention it as much. There is no way we would have ever met in a match after all." he explains before turning around and continuing on his way.

"Hm? I guess so." she muses, following after her.

She smirks suddenly. "Just to let you know. I don't plan on being called Echizen Ryoma's bygone sister either." she tells him, making him smile knowingly as he looks at her over his shoulder.

It has been so exciting, watching these matches. She looks at hands before clutching her heart…. _'I need to find a way to play again. But how?'_

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I've been writing a lot on this story this week to make sure I can keep updating regularly. I hope you guys still like it. I can promise you that there will be some development coming soon. I can't wait to see what you will think of it.  
**

 ** **I was wondering; Who's you're favorite character in the series? I think it's really difficult to pinpoint it to just one. I just can't choose!  
****

 **I want to say a special thank you to YuYuHakushoObsessor for steadily reviewing each chapter. That's great!**


	17. Chapter 17

"Have fun!" Ryumi calls without looking up from her magazine as Ryoma passes her, their dad dragging him after him out of the house unceremoniously.

"Ryumi-chan! Don't stay inside all day." Nanako scolds. "Come on. Go do something fun on your day off!" she urges, working the teenage girl out of the house.

Before Ryumi realizes it, she stands on the curb, blinking in shock. She sighs in dismay. "I don't even know what to do." After a moment she decides to just saunter around for a while.

…

"100…120…125…. Ugh! I don't even have enough for a sunday on me." Ryumi moans in dismay. "Nanako could have at least let me bring my purse."

"Hey, Echizen-san!" a voice calls suddenly, making her look over to see Oishi and Tezuka across the street. She waves as they come over.

"Hey, what are you both doing here?" she asks when they reach her.

"We just came from the library, doing some research." Oishi tells her with a smile.

She chuckles. "Can't even sit still on your day off. Going to play now?" she wonders, seeing they both carry their tennis bags.

Tezuka nods. "Maybe you could join us. There is something I want to show you." he tells Ryumi, making her blink in surprise. Oishi too looks surprised, so he too doesn't know what Tezuka has in mind.

"Eh…Sure." Ryumi agrees, curious.

They make their way to a small sports complex where there is only one court. After setting up the equipment the boys stand across from each other and start to rally.

Ryumi sits on the bench, still not quite understanding what it is that Tezuka wants to show her, but she doesn't mind watching them play. They are both really good players and can tell they will have a future in tennis if they want to.

Suddenly Oishi starts to smile brightly. "I get it now!" he calls, making Ryumi look between the two confused. Something is happening, something she should pay attention to….

Her trained eye suddenly focuses on something, something she has seen before some time ago, something she has seen her father do….

Her eyes widen as she watches the ball return to Tezuka with each hit. No matter how Oishi returns it, it just seems to go straight back to him like it and Tezuka are connected together with a string or maybe like it's sucked in a whirlpool each time. Tezuka hardly even moves his feet. There is only a small circle forming around his feet as he moves one of them back and forth, but that is it.

"I see it now…" Ryumi breathes her entire focus on Tezuka, scanning his movements, calculating, planning. That's her path right there. If she can master that, she won't have to worry about her knee as much.

She glances at her limb. It hasn't been as painful lately and she has been able to stand for longer periods of time and walk more properly. She hasn't tried to run or anything yet because she knows everyone would be right on top of her.

Looking back up, her heart feeling lighter, she knows it's time. Her patience has worked off and if she plays this right, who knows where she'll be in a year from now. Her heart flutters at the thought of picking up a racket again.

After having a proper look from all the angles she could get and learning as much as she can about the famed Tezuka Zone, the boys pack up their things.

"Tezuka-kun…" Ryumi starts, standing beside him as he puts away his rackets. He straightens looking down at her with his usual stoic face. Ryumi suddenly bows before him. "Thank you! Thank you for showing me." she tells him earnestly.

He nods in understanding. "Don't overdo it." he warns her.

"I won't." she promises. "I'm not going to be careless with this opportunity."

He nods again, satisfied. He isn't usually one who cares much for letting anyone copy of him, but this he can let slide. He's sure that once she's ready, she'll find her own style again.

"Is it going to work out?" Oishi asks, still a bit worried.

Ryumi nods. "It will, I will make it work out." she says determinately. "I will have to work hard on it, because it's not my usual style, but I can do it."

"Alright." Oishi smiles, glad to see the spark of hope that has alighted in the girl. "Ah, it's getting late. We should go home now." he suggests before they make their way out of the complex.

"Tezuka-kun, Oishi-kun. Thanks again. I appreciate it. I'll see you both tomorrow at school." Ryumi says before parting from the two.

Oishi looks back at Tezuka as they make their way towards the bus. "That was really nice of you. It's good to see her fire burning."

"Yes." Tezuka agrees, glad that he could do something to help her start off with. He wonders how it will work out, but he feels it will be all right.

…

"I'm home!" Ryumi calls excitedly.

"Welcome home sweetheart!" her mom calls from the kitchen where she is washing the vegetables for dinner.

"Can I help?" Ryumi asks, catching her mom by surprise.

"Sure." she says, watching the girl set to work. "You look to be in a good mood. Did you have a nice day?"

Ryumi nods, a smile still plastered on her face. She can't wait to get started. Usually she would have turned to her dad and begged him to teach her that move which he knows very well, but she feels like she shouldn't.

She wants to surprise him. She will work hard before showing him what she has learned. That way he won't have to worry.

When she realized what Tezuka was showing her, she felt a bit silly for not remembering that she could perhaps work to make her dad's Samurai Zone her own, but luckily Tezuka reminded her that she could play without having to stress her knee too much.

She sighs happily. She's glad to have found such good friends. She doesn't regret coming to Japan at all. She will have to call Ryoga later tonight. He will be so happy.


	18. Chapter 18

"Look here." Eiji motions, pulling something from his bag. "My family and I went to a shrine yesterday. Here you go." he says, handing the blue charm over to Ryumi.

She smiles widely. "For me? Thank you Eiji!" she tells him, shaking it a little so the tiny bell rings in her ears. "I'll put it on my bag." she tells him, hooking it to a metal ring on her school bag.

Eiji smiles happily as he watches her do so. "Did you do anything yesterday?" he wonders.

She shrugs. "Mostly studying before Nanako kicked me out of the house. Ran into Oishi and Tezuka. Even their free days revolve around tennis you know." she chuckles.

"I'm not surprised." Eiji muses. "Ne, Ryumi-chan. You look really happy today." he notes.

"Ah. I guess I've got lot's of energy today." she tells him.

"Well that's good!" he smiles, before glancing at his watch. "Oh! I've gotta go. See you in class!" he waves, darting off so he can change for morning practice.

Ryumi waves him goodbye before making her way around the school, her little charm ringing softly with each step.

Her smiles fades when she hears a ruckus and rounding the corner, her eyes widen in horror to see a tall, pale boy beating up second year tennis club member Arai.

Kachiro stands beside him with a basket full of tennis balls, shaking. All of a sudden, he drops the basket and runs off in Ryumi's direction.

The bully picks up a ball before serving it in his direction, no doubt to harm him. His eyes widen when a hand intercepts its trajectory. Ryumi caught it, pulling Kachiro behind her. She won't flinch, although that did hurt the palm of her hand.

"Echizen-senpai!" Kachiro calls in relief.

"Kachiro-kun. Stay back." she orders him without breaking eye contact with the boy in front of her.

Ryumi narrows her eyes at the wicked looking boy. "Who do you think you are coming here and causing trouble?"

He merely smirks back at her. "Echizen? Are you related to that boy that beat all the Ginka regulars yesterday?" he asks, making her raise a brow as she wonders what Ryoma had been up to yesterday.

"Probably." she states. "Are you a student from Ginka?" she asks him, wondering if he's here for revenge. "You should leave here. You have no business being here."

He narrows his eyes. "No, I'm not one of those spineless weaklings. And you… Don't order me around. Bad things happen to people who order me around." he states threateningly, making her glance at Arai, who looks horrible.

"Senpai…." she hears Kachiro's wavering voice behind her.

"You have no right to hurt anyone. Get lost before someone calls the police." she tells him unwavering, although not fancying ending up like Arai.

He scowls. "I told you… Don't order me around!" he shouts before serving another tennis ball, now in her direction, aimed straight for her face. It never makes contact though, because a racket gets in between it and her.

"Ryoma." she mutters, relieved that he warded off the attack, but also worried, because she knows him so well…

"What's with all the ruckus?" he asks unimpressed.

"Finally showed up huh? First year regular." the boy states, his smirk returning to his face.

Ryoma rests his racket over his shoulder. "I don't know you."

It seems the boy didn't expect him to know, but he looks like he wants to make sure Ryoma will remember him from now on. He picks up a rock from the ground.

"Hey, that rock!" Arai calls from the ground as he watches the bully serve it towards Ryoma. Ryoma's eyes widen in shock, but blocks it with his racket. He looks at the boy in disbelief, wondering how someone could act like that.

The boy picks up a hand full of sharp rocks. "Isn't this the best?!" he calls as he serves them all in Ryoma's direction with great speed.

"Ryoma!" Ryumi screams as some hit him in the face. She leans over him as he doubles over, hands covering his face. She gently pulls them away to find cuts all over.

Ryumi grits her teeth, rounding on the boy. "You bastard!" she shouts, closing in on him.

"Out of my way!" the boy shouts, knocking her aside with a swing of his arm. She lands roughly on her backside.

"Ryumi!" Ryoma calls.

"Senpai!" Arai and Kachiro shout in unison.

"Heh." the boy spits uncaringly before turning on his heal. "Today was just a greeting. I'll see you later, first year regular Echizen."

….

"Who did this to you? This is severe. I can't believe you lied and said you fell." coach Riyuzaki scolds after patching up Ryoma.

"We fell." he repeats as he stands up.

Ryuzaki sighs, looking over at Ryumi who is glaring harshly at one of the shelves, her jaw clenched. She hasn't said anything since coming in. Just before walking in on Ryoma cut up and Ryumi scuffed up, the siblings were in a heated argument. She doesn't think the two did this to each other though.

She watches the two walk out in silence.

"You'd better make it worth it if you want to keep up this lie to the teachers. That boy, Akutsu, belongs in prison." she sneers, but Ryoma stays silent.

Ryoma opens the door to the boy's changing room to see some of his senpais in discussion. "I've brought him back." Ryumi announces behind him, still scowling.

"Echizen, Ryumi-chan, are you both okay?" Momo asks worriedly.

Ryoma walks passed the group to get his things. "I'm fine, just fell down." he excuses.

They look at him in disbelief, already having heard what happened and turn to Ryumi instead. "Like he said." she scoffs before pulling the door closed with a slam and heading to class.

Eiji jumps in surprise. "Ryumi-chan…"

…

When Fuji and Eiji join her in class, they look at her worriedly as she leans over her desk, face half hidden behind her arms as she glares at the board.

"Ryumi-chan. Despite what your brother said, we know what happened. Are you okay?" Fuji asks, trying not to be bothered by the frightening aura she gives off.

Ryumi clenches her fists. "I'm so angry… Ryoma wants to take care of it himself. Well, if he really wants to… He'd better do it right." she sneers, making a chill run down their spine.

…

"Ryumi-chan~. Do you want to go for burgers with me, Momo-chan and o-chibi?" Eiji asks, having hurried back to class after afternoon practice. "Huh? You're the only one left?" he asks, looking around the otherwise empty classroom.

"I don't know Eiji." she answers quietly. "Perhaps it's best if you go ahead." she tells him.

He blinks, looking at her worriedly. She has been rather quiet after her initial anger subsided.

He walks up to her before kneeling down to see her face, gasping when he sees her eyes red and dried tear streaks on her face. "Ryumi-chan! What's wrong?"

He watches her lower lip tremble before she bites it rather hard to keep it still. "I-… I can't get down the stairs!" she exclaims, shocking him. "My body hurts from this morning. My knee is too stiff. I-…I'm worried." she cries.

Eiji sighs before smiling softly. Ryumi looks up confused as he moves his back to her. "What are you doing?" she wonders softly.

"Come on, get up. I'll piggyback you down the stairs." he urges, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

Ryumi hesitates before he motions with his hands to hurry up. She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, blushing a bit at the close contact.

He stands up straight, supporting her legs with a hand and an arm as he has one occupied with her bag. "Okay, let's go!" he cheers, moving out of the classroom and into the empty hallway.

Ryumi wipes at her face, trying to hide the traces of her crying. "You'll be okay. It doesn't hurt right? So it'll be fine." he assures her.

Her lips form into a thin line, hating that she looks so weak. "I don't want any pity." she mutters.

"I'm not pitying you. You're though, but right now, you're going through a hard time. Friends look out for each other right? So let me look after you." he says with an unusually calm voice.

Ryumi puts her head on his shoulder in defeat, closing her eyes as tears threaten to well up in her eyes again. "Thanks Eiji." she whispers.


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm home!" Ryoma calls stepping inside and throwing his wet shoes off. It's been raining for a while.

"Hi chibisuke!" Ryumi greets from the porch. She has been resting at home the whole day, too sore to go to school.

Ryoma walks over, dumping a stack of papers next to her on the table where she is watching the small TV, keeping track of the Grand Slam tournament in Paris. She always likes matches on gravel more.

"Homework." Ryoma states dully before sitting down next to her.

"Thanks. Hey, I heard you played a match against Fujiko today." she states.

Ryoma raises a brow. "Since when do you call him Fujiko?"

She shrugs in reply. "I hear Eiji say it so often, it rubbed off on me. So how was it?"

"It was okay." he shrugs. "How do you even know about it?" he wonders since it just happened.

She whips out a mobile phone. "Mom gave me her old phone, so I can call. You know, just in case. I'm in a group chat with Eiji, Oishi, Fujiko, Inui and Tezuka. The others don't have a cell phone, though I suspect Kaidoh has, but he doesn't want to give his number." she explains.

"Even Tezuka-buchou?" Ryoma questions surprised.

Ryumi nods. "Though he never says anything."

"Mmh." Ryoma hums. "Hey Ryumi-nee?" he questions.

"Yeah?"

"During the match… Why did Fuji-senpai say he has a date with you after the tournament finishes?" he asks, looking at her with a penetrating gaze.

Ryumi rolls her eyes. "That guy…" she sighs. "It's not a date. He just likes to rile you up. If you don't pay attention to it, he'll stop. We're just planning to hang out somewhere. Though don't tell dad, or he'll be all over my case."

Ryoma looks at her skeptically. "Promise me." she urges and he finally relents.

"Only if you tell me what you are going to be doing." he bargains.

Ryumi looks hesitant before succumbing. Anything is better than her dad knowing. "Practice." she states.

"Practice?" he repeats, surprised.

She nods in confirmation, thinking back to the day before, before she met up with Eiji.

 _"_ _Fujiko. Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asks when he enters the school grounds._

 _"_ _Huh? Sure. What is it?" he asks curiously, sensing this is about something serious._

 _Ryumi takes a deep breath. "Fujiko… Would you like to… Coach me?" she asks, catching him by surprise._

 _"_ _Coach you?" he asks, making sure he heard right._

 _Ryumi nods. "Yesterday, Tezuka-kun showed me that I can start playing again, if I learn the right move." she explains._

 _"_ _Ah." he breathes. "You mean the Tezuka Zone?"_

 _"_ _That's right. I need someone who I can practice with." she tells him._

 _"_ _I see." he muses. "But why me?"_

 _"_ _Because I trust you not to tell anyone who will start to worry. Besides, I can tell you'll be strict and keep me from doing something stupid, like overexerting myself." she explains._

 _Fuji nods. "I understand."_

 _"_ _So, will you? Please? You don't have to of course, if you don't want to, but…" she gets cut off by a hand patting the top of her head._

 _"_ _Saa, I don't mind Ryumi-chan." he says smiling. "I'm glad you asked. At least now I can keep an eye out to make sure you don't do anything stupid, like you said."_

 _Ryumi smiles up at him. "Thanks coach. I'll listen diligently." she promises, making him nod satisfied._

"So it's like that?" Ryoma hums after listening to the story.

"You understand right, that if I practice with you, dad is more likely to find out. When I'm able, I want to surprise him." she states.

"I get it. But are you ready to start again?" he wonders unsurely.

"I think so." she replies. "It just feels like now is the right time. My leg is okay after yesterday, no damage done. The stiffness will be long over after the tournament. There is no reason to wait."

"Wait with what?" a voice asks from behind them, making them stiffen.

"Nothing!" the two reply in unison to their dad.

"Huh?" he muses, raising a brow before scowling. "Fine, don't tell your old man. You ungrateful brats." he pouts, stomping off.

Ryumi and Ryoma sigh in relief. "Not a word." Ryumi warns, making Ryoma nod. He knows he can't stop her now.


	20. Chapter 20

"Kiss. Kiss. Kiss!"…. "Aw, not again." "Bugger." "So close."

Ryoma sighs, rolling his eyes at his sister and cousin. "It's too early for Korean drama's." he complains.

Ryumi whirls on him. "No way! It's never too early."

"Do you hope for a happy ending?" he asks, making her look at him like he's an idiot.

"Of course."

He sighs again. "Another time. We have to go." he reminds her.

"That's right." she muses, getting to her feet. "We'll probably see _him_ again." she says, referring to Akutsu Jin. He plays for Yamabuki after all, possibly Seigaku's opponent today should they beat Ginka and Yamabuki beat Fudomine.

"Right." Ryoma states.

"I still feel sorry for Kawamura." Ryumi sighs.

That day Akutsu came to their school and after the boys dropped her off at home, they sighted Kawamura and followed him. At a café, Akutsu dropped a drink on Kawamura's head in front of a lady, his girlfriend according to Eiji, though she is skeptical. Eiji can sometimes make of things what he want after all.

It seems though that they knew each other before, but against Akutsu's harshness, Kawamura's gentle heart doesn't stand a chance.

…

Ryumi has been in a pissy mood ever since they arrived at the courts where none other that Akutsu was to greet them. It took everything Eiji had to stop her from destroying something. Luckily he has this power to placate her when needed. It even surprises Ryoma.

Also, Momoshiro would have gotten into a fight if it weren't for Tezuka. Momo really can't stand the guy.

But it's time to face him in a match anyway. Since both Fudomine and Ginka forfeited, they can get right to it. And it will be the Prefectural finals.

…

Ryumi watches both teams assemble when her eyes fall on a certain orange haired guy, "Oh! It's that weirdo!" she exclaims pointing at Sengoku.

"Eh?!" he exclaims, taken aback. "Pretty girl?!"

Ryoma perks up at that. "Who are you calling 'pretty girl'?! She's not pretty at all!"

"Oi!" Ryumi scolds, smacking the back of his head making him hiss.

Fuji raises a curious brow. "You've met before?" he asks.

She nods in reply. "Yeah, he just appeared out of nowhere and started hitting on me last time we were here." she explains.

"Hitting on you?" Eiji repeats, his eyes running over Sengoku, sizing him up as Fuji watches in amusement.

"Uhu. He creeped me out though. What kind of weirdo just pops up like that?" she questions.

"Eh?! I'm not a weirdo!" Sengoku counters, his brow twitching.

"Yeah you are." Eiji scoffs, making Fuji chuckle. He can watch this all day.

"On the court everyone!" Tezuka cuts in before things are delayed even further.

…

The first match ended up badly. Fuji and Kawamura played second doubles, but lost against the Nitobe and Kita duo. They were a duo that played in the nationals together, just like the pair in doubles one; Minami and Higashikata.

Seigaku's own Golden pair will be up against them and it will surely be a though match since they are at the same level. Who will have the best strategy? And will Oishi keep his cool, seeing he played them last year with a senpai of his and lost?

Oishi glares at the ground, seemingly lost in thought before Eiji unceremoniously flicks his forehead, giving him a rude awakening. "Oishi, strain yourself after I collapse." he states.

Oishi processes his words before taking a deep breath, calming himself down. He then plasters a smile back on his face. "Okay, let's do our usual."

The first game is troubling however as their opponents target Oishi. Inui explains the same pattern is used as last year, where they targeted Oishi's partner. It must bring up some bad memories for him, but Oishi must've really grown, because he refuses to lose his cool.

The duo clearly does better than Oishi did with his senpai last year. With Oishi's knowledge of the opponent's play and Eiji being a better match for him, they turn the ship around before it's too far out of sight.

Meanwhile Ryuzaki-sensei and Yamabuki's coach Banji-sensei are taking jabs at each other. It looks like they know each other pretty well.

The match continues to be tough though as the famed Yamabuki 'Jimmies', though don't ever call them that to their face, work well together in a sign play, with Minami taking the lead in signaling what to do. Eiji however makes up his own hints to Oishi as he goes and them knowing each other so well, are able to counter it.

Adding Eiji's acrobatic play style, they give the Jimmies a run for their money and eventually win with 7-5. With that kind of skill and teamwork, Ryumi is sure they'll go far this year, or she'll eat her shoe.

A ring of the chainlink fence catches her attention as the players prepare to leave the court. It's Akutsu…

"I've got to thank you for losing so gruesomely." he says to his teammates, making them glare in reply. "Now I can torment Seigaku's freshman." he laughs.

Ryumi sighs, thinking it unbelievable that he's even a jerk to his own teammates. She glances towards Ryoma, who shows no sign of being perturbed.

She then looks over to see Momoshiro stepping onto the court. He'll play singles three against Sengoku, a.k.a. Lucky Sengoku, it seems. That guy appears to be lucky in many things. Just not today…

Momo-chan pulls some luck from his own sleeve and beats the guy, leaving with a second win for Seigaku.

"Heh, serves that weirdo right! Hoi hoi!" Eiji cheers, making Ryumi eye him curiously.

"I get that I have a beef with the guy, but what did he do to you?" she wonders, making him falter, red dusting his cheeks.

"W-well… Uh.. ahhh…" he stammers, before pulling off a cute face. "Nya?" he tries as distraction, making Fuji chuckle silently while his other peers look at him oddly.

It works however, as Ryumi can't help but smile. "You're a bit weird yourself Eiji-kun. But the good kind I suppose." she tells him, before looking away. "Though excuse me, there is an extremely weird guy getting on my nerves right there." she states, stalking off towards where she has seen her dad flirting with Inoue-san's assistant, Shiba, for the duration of the match.

Eiji sighs in relief before stiffening as an ominous presence appears behind him. "Interesting data." Inui murmurs, making Eiji round on him and snatch his pen.

"What data?!"

* * *

 **I finally have a week off! Though sadly, it seems this is the time where my body decides shut down and lets me get sick as per usual. I hope it doesn't push through, because I have a climbing exam this Sunday and on Monday I'm going to Germany with my not so little brother. Stupid viruses!**

 **Anyway, while I have been rooting for my white blood cells, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

"If you glare any harder, the boy might catch on fire." Nanjiro muses, watching his daughter shoot bullets from her eyes towards Akutsu. He is blissfully unaware of what happened the week before.

"Heh." she scoffs in reply. "Might do him some good." she mutters in reply, making her old man cock his head curiously.

"Mh? What's up with you? You're all fired up." he drawls.

Ryumi looks up at him over her shoulder, her eyes sharp as knives. "I just don't like his attitude." she explains dryly before turning away.

Nanjiro rubs his stubble covered chin in thought before glancing over at Akutsu Jin who is facing his son. He must admit he rarely ever saw anyone carry such a bad attitude into a match. He wonders what his old rival was thinking when recruiting a boy like that into his team.

The match starts off heated and Ryoma quickly rushes up to the net returning the ball Akutsu returned after his lob, with a Drive Volley right into his face. The crowd gasps as Akutsu lies sprawled across his side of the court, his face set is shock. No doubt Ryoma intended to pay him back for what he pulled.

While mostly everyone is left in shock, Ryoma and Ryumi's dad can't help but laugh. He really liked to see Ryoma put forward some attitude of his own.

"Oops. I'm sorry." Ryoma states with a smirk as Akutsu gets to his feet. "But you shouldn't take tennis so lightly. Even though that's not something big... That's for Kachiro." he says calmly. "Now what are you still on the ground? I still have to get you back for Kawamura-senpai and for the heck of it Arai-senpai... and most of all my sis." he finishes.

Akutsu jumps to his feet calmly after gathering his racket, facing the boy several heads shorter than him. "You... can't escape anymore, brat."

"Same to you." Ryoma replies simply.

Akutsu crouches real low as Ryoma sets himself up to serve, as both are looking very serious about this match. Ryoma serves him a Twist serve, but Akutsu returns it by moving fast and is soon able to gain his first point.

Akutsu's speed seems to dominate the game. Ryoma only has to blink and he's gone from sight. His speed, combined with his strength, really leaves Ryoma in trouble. Not even Ryoma's split step makes a difference.

Kawamura looks on worriedly from the sidelines. He and Akutsu, they used to be friends.

"To pay me back in tennis. Don't make me laugh... brat." Akutsu sneers unimpressed.

Ryumi sighs lightly as she leans up against the chain fence. If she didn't despise the guy so much, she would consider complimenting him on his skills. She glances towards her dad who looks on in interest. He always enjoys it when someone is giving Ryoma a hard time. He believes it's the best way for him to grow.

Ryoma tries a lob to draw Akutsu to the net and follows after, trying to limit his area to return a proper strong return. Akutsu at first wants to ignore it and goes to lob the ball over Ryoma, but with one taunt from Ryoma, decides against it at the last split second. The result... Ryoma having the ball returned in his face at full power.

"Ryoma!" his sister calls worriedly as her little brother is thrown back by the force.

"30-15." the umpire calls as the ball hits the court on Akutsu's side.

Ryumi blinks in surprise. As far as she knows, Ryoma's face isn't flexible enough to return balls. It appears he made himself the target on purpose, so he knew where he could expect the ball to go and so was able to return it.

Ryoma gets to his feet, looking completely fine with a smirk plastered on his face. "Jeez. He nearly gave me heart attack." Ryumi complains, making her dad snicker behind her.

The match continues and Ryoma continues pulling more tricks from his sleeve, showing them moves he never used before, amazing his sister and impressing his dad. He's really evolving himself as he goes.

"Heh. Be careful. He could be growing to get better than you Ryumi." her dad boasts proudly. It's his way of urging his children on, by creating some competitive air between them. They learn to grow by watching and learning from each other. It's how he got them into tennis in the first place.

Ryumi smirks in return. "I would hope so, but not just yet oyaji." she replies, making him blink before eyeing her suspiciously before smiling.

"Ah~. Well, I'm getting hungry. See ya." he muses before sauntering off. Ryumi simply waves, not taking her eyes from the court.

Meanwhile, Ryoma and Akutsu face off, both smiling as they enjoy the match. It surprises everyone who thought they would be forever at each other's throats.

With Ryoma now using a single step to change his direction, he can keep up to Akutsu better. He gains on the other boy, though Akutsu isn't planning to make it easy for him.

By expectantly changing his tempo, from just full on attacking to a more all round type of style, he manages to keep Ryoma behind him. Shows he isn't all about brute strength after all.

But Ryoma just has a thing for adaptation and gets over it, soon matching whatever pace Akutsu decides on.

It's amazing to see the two play together. All animosity seems to have ebbed away. Even Ryumi can't summon up her anger anymore as she watches the match unfold.

But despite them having their fun, Ryoma still remembers to pay Akutsu back, by winning the match.

"Game and match for Seigaku's Echizen." the umpire concludes the match, also signaling the end of the prefectural tournament. They've won. Ahead is are the regional championships.

Akutsu matches up to the net, snatching Ryoma by the shirt, hoisting him up threateningly.

"I won." he simply states, making Akutsu freeze. "You did good though."

A tense silence fills the air before Akutsu releases Ryoma just as suddenly as he grabbed him. Surprising everyone, he starts to laugh before turning away, walking off the court still laughing.

Ryumi snorts. "What the heck." she mumbles before turning her eyes to her little brother. He's really something. Yeah, one day he will surpass her, no doubt. But... "Mada mada dane."

...

"Where did you get those?" Ryoma wonders as he watches his sister snack on some takoyaki after the consolation match between Hyotei and St Rudolph. Only one of them could continue on to the regionals and that turned out to be Hyotei. Ryumi feels sorry for Yuuta. She heard he got beaten surprisingly fast.

"Mh? Oh well, I snatched oyaji's second portion. He shouldn't hog all the food for himself when he has growing children right?" she explains, glancing towards the man crying on a bench further away as he looks into his wallet. "Want one?" she offers, holding it out, but before he can take it, Eiji comes diving in.

"Mmh~. Delicious." he sings with his mouth full while Ryoma glares at him. His glare then turns to Fuji who sits down next to her, also claiming a piece for himself.

Ryumi chuckles to herself. "You guys." Suddenly an idea springs to her mind. "Hey, let's all go to the ice cream shop. All of us, to celebrate Seigaku's victory." she suggests. "It'll be my treat."

Eiji's eyes light up at the sound of that. He's so used for being exploited by his juniors, always having to pay for the burgers. "Yeah! Let's go!" he urges, running off to gather the others.

"Oi!" a voice calls, making her look up. "If you brought your own money this time, why didn't you pay for your own food?" her dad wonders, growing red in the face as he hovers over her threateningly.

"You're my dad. Aren't you supposed to pay for my food?" she counters, making him grumble.

"At least buy me some ice cream too." he tries, only to receive a blunt 'No.'

"I'm not going to have my dad tag along on an outing with my friends. You'll embarrass me." she states as a matter of factly before getting up with Ryoma and Fuji as the others walk on over.

"Hey, I've seen that guy before." Momo-chan says in realization as he watches the now weeping man in monk's clothes behind them. "Is he bothering you?" he wonders.

Ryumi chuckles. "Don't mind him. I can take him." she says before they walk off together, ready to go get some ice cream.

Nanjiro cries crocodile tears as he watches her go. "My own daughter thinks I'm embarrassing her!"

* * *

 **Greetings from the Black forest Germany everyone!**


	22. Chapter 22

"Thanks again Fujiko." says a tired looking Ryumi as she packs away her things.

This is about the third time he helped her practice as he kept his word of helping her after the prefecturals are over. As she expected, he is a tough teacher, but looks out for her as well. When he tells her it's time to stop, she is sure to listen.

She tried to protest and prolongate the session the first time and Fuji made it clear that he was in charge. She still gets the shivers when she remembers the look she received.

"No problem. Saa, how do hide the fact that you practice? I assume you still wash those clothes." he chuckles, nodding at her shirt and shorts. She has discarded her brace recently, only wearing it now when her knee feels strained. A large pink scar is sitting prominently on her skin.

She nods. "I wash them at a Laundromat and afterwards I take my bag to the locker at the bus station near our home." she explains, making Fuji's smile widen, impressed.

"I'll be running off now. My sister wanted to go out for dinner today. I heard she had some news to tell us." he says after putting his own things away.

Ryumi's eyes widen in wonder. "Ne, do you think she found a nice boyfriend?" she questions. "Your sister is so pretty, it's a wonder she's still single."

Fuji chuckles. "Saa, who knows? I'll see you tomorrow at school." he nods and she waves him off before turning to the locker rooms so she can freshen up. She can't show up at home reeking of sweat.

She quickly showers before putting on her school uniform. She then rushes from the locker room to head home before anyone Ryoma is home before she is. They made it so that they leave the house together before parting ways so they can each practice or him meet up with Momo. If they arrive home together afterwards, their parents and Nanako won't question what she really has been up to.

She really thought of every detail to keep them in the dark.

"Oh! Excuse me." Ryumi apologizes after her breath is knocked out of her after accidentally bumping into someone in her haste.

She looks up to meet the face of an unknown boy and he is looking down on her rather grimly. Beside him stands another unknown boy, both dressed in sportswear.

"Look out where you're going next time." the boy she bumped into snarls harshly, making her frown.

"Jeez. I told you I'm sorry." she huffs in reply, looking up in surprise when the other boy picks up something from the ground. Her eyes widen to see her charm in his fingers. It must have fallen from her bag when she bumped into his friend.

She swallows hard, eyes focused on the charm. "Can I have that back please." she asks, making the other boy gaze at her before scoffing.

"Why should I give it to you? Is it even yours? I don't see any name on it." he sneers unkindly, making her grit her teeth.

"Yeah, besides, you were very rude." his friend agrees. "Maybe you can change our minds, for a little kiss." he smirks, stepping closer, making Ryumi grimace and step back in a hurry.

"I don't go around kissing slime balls." she can't help but spit out. "Now give it back to me. You saw it fall from my bag, you know it's mine!" she states, thrusting out her hand defiantly.

They frown in unison at the insult. The first guy turns to his friend. "Break it." he tells him, making his friend nod.

"Arn~. What's all this? Causing such a scene over such a simple charm." a voice interrupts, catching their attention.

They look over to see none other than Hyotei's captain Atobe Keigo and the tall second year regular that follows him everywhere he goes, Kabaji Munehiro. There is another tall boy with the two of them, known as Ootori Choutarou.

Atobe snaps his fingers. "Kabaji." he calls.

"Usu." the tall, broad boy replies stepping forward, making the two boys in front of Ryumi grow pale, breaking out a cold sweat. The one boy drown her charm to the ground before they both run off, yelling something about having other obligations.

Ryumi scowls after them before turning back around, only to jump to find Ootori towering over her. He must be as tall as Kawamura, or even taller. And he's not even a third year yet.

"Here's your charm back." he offers with a kind smile, having picked it up for her after the other guy dropped it.

Ryumi can't help but return the smile. "Thank you, Ootori-kun." she tells him, taking it from him happily. A light blush crosses his cheeks.

Before he can say anything else, Atobe cuts in once again. "Mh? You know him?"

Ryumi turns to him calmly. "Not personally, I've seen you guys play at the prefectural tournament." she explains, making him raise his brow, making him look even more arrogant than he usually does.

"Is that so?" he muses before noticing her uniform. "Seishun Gakuen eh? Mh, now that I think back, I recall having seen you hanging around the regulars. I didn't know them to have much of a fan base." he states, making her stare at him annoyed. That was an underhanded insult if she ever heard one.

"Are you calling them unpopular or unlikable?" she questions hotly.

Atobe smirks at that. "I mean nothing by it. After all, it is only better. Less people to disappoint when they lose in the regional championships."

Ryumi takes a deep breath to keep herself calm. Instead, she smirks in return. "That is rich, coming from the captain whose team only was able to enter after winning the consolation match. Are you trying to make yourself feel better by insulting the number one team?" she retaliates, momentarily wiping the smirk from his face.

"Now now. Let's keep things friendly yes?" Ootori tries to placate, feeling awkward standing in between the two.

"Nee-san!" a voice calls from a distance, making Ryumi look up to finds Ryoma striding his way over.

Atobe looks at the boy with slight surprise. "Arn. If it isn't the rumored first year regular, Echizen Ryoma." he muses.

Ryoma makes a point in ignoring him altogether, ticking him off. He only glances at Ootori in recognition since he's right beside his sister. "Nee-san, it's time to go home." he urges, signaling that he has come to look for her after she didn't show up where they were supposed to meet.

She nods, choosing not to react to the curious glances between her and Ryoma. "Right. Sorry about the delay. I'm ready to go now." she tells him.

"Oi!" Atobe calls out, not amused at all about being ignored.

Ryumi only turns back to Kabaji and Ootori. "Thanks for scaring those bullies away Kabaji-kun! Nice to have met you Ootori-kun!" she calls with a wave before spinning on her heel and following after her little brother who says nothing.

Ootori smiles, scratching his neck shyly with one hand while he waves with the other, while Kabaji only stares after her quietly. Atobe crosses his arms, peeved. "How dare they ignore ore-sama?" he grumbles.

* * *

 **Thanks for reviewing!**


	23. Chapter 23

"That will be 560 yen please." the cashier tells Ryumi who quickly counts out the cash before handing it over. "Thank you have a nice day!" they call before Ryumi steps outside.

She hoists the back up higher in her arms before setting off again, though struggling a bit with the large bag. She has trouble pressing the button for the crossing without dropping the contents; luckily someone is just in time to help her.

"Oh! Eiji! What are you doing here?" Ryumi wonders, surprised to see him standing there with a big grin on his face.

He holds up a bag of his own proudly. "These new tennis shoes were on sale. Gives me an extra bounce!" he exclaims, making her snicker.

"Like you need the extra bounce." she jokes, making him stick out his tongue at her before blinking at the bag she's carrying.

"Ne, Ryumi-chan. What's that?" he wonders curiously, making her tilt the bag for him to look inside. "Rabbit food?" he blinks in wonder.

Ryumi nods. "Some friends of mom's had a litter and I got to pick out two a few days ago. They really eat a lot, so I've had to get a good supply of food." she explains before she gets an idea. "Hey, do you want to come and see them?" she asks.

Eiji grins once more. "Of course nya!" he exclaims before quickly slapping his hands over his cheeks before Ryumi can squeeze at them again, causing her to laugh.

"This way Eiji!" she calls, heading towards the shrine where her dad usually resides once the light springs on green.

He follows after her happily, but snatches her bag from her, trading it with his. "Let's switch. It looks heavy." he tells her as she looks at him confused.

"Right. Thanks Eiji." she smiles gratefully, making him smile again before sighing contently as they walk the rest of the way together, talking casually and Ryumi checking out his new shoes, joking that he probably owns more pairs than her mom and her cousin together to which he pouts playfully.

When they step into the shrine, Ryumi can't see her dad around, which makes her sigh in relief. He must be out getting lunch. However, there is something else that completely horrifies her. The pen where she kept her rabbits is empty.

Eiji's eyes widen as he spots all the holes covering the ground from the entrance all the way to the back where the tennis court is.

Ryumi releases a squeak in fright. "My dad is going to kill me!"

Eiji's eyes flit to movement under a brush, seeing a black tail disappear underneath it. "Ah- ah! Don't worry Ryumi-chan. First we'll catch them, and then we quickly repair the mess they made." he says determinately, putting down the bag.

"First, let's fix the pen, so they won't be able to escape again." he urges. Ryumi nods, glad that she ha Eiji there to keep her head on straight and not run around in a panic. They fix the pen before setting off to find both rabbits.

"Here rabbit!" Eiji calls, darting after one with a pale reddish brown coat. But it darts nimbly out of his way before disappearing beneath the structure that holds the shrines bell.

He sighs in dismay. "He's quick. Will it come if I call its name?" he wonders.

Ryumi smiles a bit awkwardly from her squatted position by a bush. "I don't think it will. I only named them a few days ago."

"Hm~." Eiji muses. "What are they called anyway?" he questions, blinking in surprise when Ryumi blushes in embarrassment. She mumbles something that makes him strain to hear, but he catches it anyway and immediately he's caught in a fit of laughter.

"Eiji! Don't laugh at me~." Ryumi wines, her face beat red.

"Eh? I don't think rabbits can laugh." Eiji counters with a snicker, making her throw a stray tennis ball at him which he dodges effortlessly. Ryumi sighs as she waits for Eiji to stop laughing.

Eiji heaves a deep breath, finally calming down. "Okay! Okay! Let's put this Golden pair back in their pen." he states, a small snicker following. "I'm going to catch my name sake if you catch Oishi over there." he suggests.

Ryumi nods and as she tries to coax the black rabbit named Oishi from under the brush, she catches Eiji running all over the grounds in an effort to catch the reddish brown one, who seems to like making things difficult for the boy.

"There." Ryumi sighs happily as she gently lowers the black rabbit into the pen. It immediately hops over to the drinking bottle, thirsty after its adventure.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji cheers as he comes bouncing over, the other rabbit in his arms. He puts it down beside the other one. "I get why you named him after me. He was all over the place!" he gasps, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Ryumi smiles before paling when she hears a familiar humming coming closer. She and Eiji freeze. They still haven't fixed the holes!

"Oh! Totally forgot my magazines!" the voice exclaims. "Better run back now." Nanjiro muses before turning back around, continuing to hum as he goes.

As his voice fades in the distance, the two teens breathe a sigh of relief. Ryumi quickly jumps up, going to search for shovels. She eventually finds a spade and one small garden shovel.

Eiji takes the spade and they quickly set to work in closing up all the holes the two rabbits dug during their brief period of freedom.

Ryumi finishes one and shuffles backwards before stumbling over another, crashing right into Eiji who is working next to her. She can feel her face grow red as she plants her face right into his chest. He has automatically wrapped his arm around her waist to stop her from falling.

"Whoa! Careful Ryumi-chan. You could sprain something like that." Eiji warns, watching the girl look up at him and wipe her hair from her reddened face. He blinks as a blush grows on his cheeks as well at the proximity.

They jump away from each other as if burned. "Er... Let's continue. W-we're almost finished." Ryumi stammers. Eiji nods silently, not trusting his voice, and they manage to finish and flee the scene before her dad returns.

...

"Wha~. I'm beat nya." Eiji moans, slumped over a bench in the park after having downed an entire bottle of water.

"Here here." Ryumi agrees before yawning loudly and rubbing her eyes cutely, making Eiji grin.

Ryumi then turns to him, catching him smiling, but he quickly turns to his bottle, pretending to read the label. "Thanks Eiji for the help. You didn't have to, but did anyway. I don't think I could have managed without you." she tells him gratefully, making him scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. I had fun." he tells her with a gin plastered on his face again.

"I'm glad." Ryumi sighs, leaning back.

Eiji chuckles then. "Ha ha! Wait till Oishi hears about your rabbits!" he laughs, already imagining his reaction while Ryumi hides her face in her hands.

"Eiji~!" she moans in complaint while he continues to laugh.

* * *

 **Many years ago, I had two rabbits named after our Golden pair. They were insane haha.**


	24. Chapter 24

"I just thought it was funny because their personalities match. Now can you please let it go Inui!" Ryumi begs the bespectacled boy who has been following her for the duration of lunch.

Eiji thought it would be nice to drop a photo of her rabbits in their group chat, triggering Inui's and Fuji's pestering. Oishi told her he was flattered and assured her not to be embarrassed though and Tezuka was only indifferent about it.

"Don't you have to prepare for the intra-school rankings this afternoon?" she wonders, making Inui pause.

He pushes his glasses up farther on his nose. "My preparation has been quite sufficient. No matter my opponent, I feel confident." he explains, making her look at him curiously.

"You're dead set on regaining your spot with the regulars, aren't you?" Ryumi questions, making him nod.

Ryumi muses over this for a moment. "I suppose, if you do as well as you believe you will, someone else will lose their place…. That's going to be harsh." she hums with a pout. Already feeling sorry for who ever will be so unlucky.

Inui nods. "Indeed. However, I will not hold back despite of that. Neither of them will." he points out.

Ryumi shrugs. "I guess. Makes me a bit glad on not being on a team though. I've always played solo in the US. I only had to focus on myself. There weren't any regrets if my play went to the expense of someone else. But… at the same time, seeing you guys together, it makes me wish I had the same."

She then smiles suddenly. "Maybe I have that now, though by association."

Inui raises a brow. "Do you not want to join the girls team when you're ready?" he wonders, making her glance over the girl's court and remembering whose in it. They're not all bad, but girls… they'll kill each other over nothing. Too much drama, she decides.

"I don't think so." she mutters before resuming her pace, Inui quickly falling in line.

"So about those rabbits…"

"Argh! Inui!"

….

"I think everyone is just a little worried, so don't mind them talking about it Oishi-kun." Ryumi urges the vice-captain. He has been getting rather annoyed at the fact that everyone keeps bringing up Momo-chan's loss. He hasn't managed to stay with the regulars after losing to Tezuka and Inui. It was a hard blow on him and he hasn't been to practice for some days.

"Even Ryoma's worried, though he doesn't show it. And I think you worry most of all, don't you, mother hen? That's why people talking about it annoys you so much." she continues as they walk down the hallway together, sidestepping students as they go.

Oishi looks down with a strained smile. "I guess so. It's just…" he doesn't finish, just sighs.

Ryumi smiles in understanding. "Momo's a fighter if I've ever seen one. I'm confident he'll bounce back when he's up for it. Nothing can drag that guy down for long." she tells him calmly, making him smile a little more reassured before looking away in thought.

They reach the courts and part ways. "Sorry to intrude." Ryumi greets Tezuka before taking her seat beside the court; ready to go over some worksheets she received today. Better to do it now than later, after all, Fuji is going to try and give her the run around again later.

"Hanging around the court again?" a voice questions in a way that makes her eye twitch.

Her eyes shoot towards her little brother. "Oi, drop that attitude chibisuke and start practicing or I'll be the one to make you start running laps." she warns.

"Yeah yeah." he sighs, making his way onto the court. Ryumi rolls her eyes at him, smiling in amusement before starting on her assignments.

Tezuka walks over, watching Ryoma go before turning to Ryumi. "Well, how are you progressing, Ryumi-chan?" he questions, making her smirk.

She turns her head slightly to regard him, a secretive smile on her face. "I thank you again for the epiphany Tezuka-kun, but you're going to have to wait and see, just like everyone else."

He nods stoically, crossing his arms. "Understood. I look forward to it."

"So do I." she agrees. "Hm?" she looks up when she hears a commotion on the court. They look over just in time to see Oishi knock Eiji to the ground, making Ryumi's mouth slacken in shock.

A look of immediate regret crosses his face as he hurries to help Eiji up, but Eiji will have none of it. "Now I'm angry!" he shouts, getting to his feet. "I'm not grouping with a guy like him!" he exclaims, shocking everyone.

Ryumi's head spins. What just happened? What did she miss here?

One of Eiji's peers attempts to calm Eiji down, Kawamura also jumping in, but it's little use. Eiji's just too ticked off. "No way! Combination cancelled! Done deal!" Eiji presses.

Oishi then scoffs. "If Eiji says so, we can't do anything about it." he states, making Kawamura turn to him, but Inui cuts in.

"Now isn't this interesting? It's true that Oishi and Kikumaru are the Golden pair, but you never know if something unexpected may come out of it. It's not bad to change your partner once in a while right?" he says, stoking up the fire, or perhaps trying to make them realize something, Ryumi isn't sure.

"Okay. Then I'm teaming up with o-chibi!" Eiji calls, making Ryoma flinch before releasing a sigh and giving in. Meanwhile Inui assigns Kaidoh to Oishi while Eiji is nearly strangling Ryoma in a hug. All the while, Ryumi is still looking on dumbfounded.

They start playing each other, but Ryoma and Kaidoh's hearts aren't in the game, making them face some brunt telling offs from Eiji. Soon enough he and Oishi are at the net, telling each other off once more.

"Quarreling inside the court?" a stern voice interrupts them, making them turn to Tezuka surprised. He has stepped inside the court to intervene. They try to talk themselves out of it, but he won't hear any of it, sending them to run laps.

Ryumi sighs as she watches them run, putting her head in her hands. She can't concentrate on her homework anymore; too shocked about the two friends fighting.

…

"So basically Eiji's being overall childish, while Oishi has a worry stick up his butt, making him trip over anything that comes across badly." Ryumi sums up, making Fuji chuckle as they sit side by side by the courts after training. Fuji explained in detail all that happened.

"Basically." he concludes. "Now can you put it aside before our next session?" he questions.

Ryumi sighs. "I hope so. I hate seeing them like this. I'm sorry it's distracting me. I don't mean to let it." she apologizes, knowing she hasn't done all she could today.

"Saa. Don't apologize. I know it's because you care." he assures her before getting up. "Come on, I'll walk you to the bus station." he urges.

….

"They are both being stubborn right now." Fuji says as they walk to the station together.

Ryumi purses her lips, in thought. "Mh. Do you think it will help if someone talked to them? she asks.

Fuji smiles knowingly. "With someone you mean you?" he guesses, making her shrug, smiling guiltily.

"Well maybe I can make them see that they need each other. I feel like I should try, that I owe it to them. They have done so much to cheer me on…" she explains, really wanting to try and resolve this issue.

Fuji hums in reply. "I see. Does that mean you feels like you owe me too then?" he nearly grins teasingly.

"Ha!" Ryumi scoffs. "You enjoy torturing me as my coach enough to make up for it." she tells him, making him open his eyes slightly, looking amused.

"Mh. True." he admits readily.

They stop as they reach their destination where Ryumi puts away her bag in a locker before walking back outside where Fuji can take the bus.

"Thanks again for today Fujiko." Ryumi tells him like she does each time, to which he nods.

"It's fine. But stop worrying. I'm not going to let you off easily next time." he warns playfully.

"Of course, because things are going to be resolved next time." she answers determinately. "It's my mission to reunite friends." she states, a fist raised to the air, making Fuji chuckle and pat her head affectionately.

"You can do it." he cheers her on before stepping onto the bus. Ryumi waves him off before setting off towards home, not noticing a pensive red headed boy watching her go from a distance.

* * *

 **Honestly, this story is the one I'm currently most proud of. I really like writing it and I still have so many ideas, so that helps a lot.**

 **I'm glad I started on this.**


	25. Chapter 25

"Good morning Eiji." Fuji greets his friend cheerfully only to blink in surprise when he doesn't react. "Eiji?" he questions as the boy steps away to the other side of the court, completely ignoring him as he starts hitting serves.

Fuji blinks after him in wonder, not understanding the cold shoulder. Did he do something wrong?

"Ah! Good morning Fuji!" Kawamura calls, stepping past him, making Fuji smile after him.

"Good morning to you too Taka-san." he greets, setting Eiji's odd behavior aside for a moment. He'll better ask what is up later.

…

Fuji sighs. He's been trying to engage Eiji into a conversation the entire day, but without any luck. At first he thought it was because of the fight with Oishi that is causing Eiji to feel down, but when he saw Eiji act like normal to others, Fuji couldn't help but conclude that it has to do with him somehow.

He observed the boy throughout classes, watching as he half-heartedly listened to Ryumi as she tried different ways to subtly remind him about the good things about Oishi.

The second she returned to her seat, her back to them once again, Eiji sighed listlessly, looking pained as he a spared a moment to stare at her back.

So, whatever his friend has against him, has something to do with Ryumi too? Would that be right?

Quite quickly fed up with Eiji's unreasonable behavior, Fuji decides to corner Eiji and get some answers before he can go home after practice.

…

"Why have you dragged me back here Fuji?! I need to go home you know?!" Eiji asks annoyed, forgoing his friend's nickname, making the brown haired boy frown.

He opens his eyes to pin Eiji with a hard gaze. "That's the first time you have spoken to me today." he points out. "Eiji, I'm not sure why you are acting this way to me, but you're being unreasonable." he shoots.

Eiji meets his gaze with a frown on his own. "Tche. What's so unreasonable about it? It's nothing compared to what you're doing!" he accuses, surprising Fuji.

"And what is it that I'm doing?" Fuji asks coolly, folding his arms over his chest.

Eiji's lips form a thin line for a moment before spitting out what's truly bothering him, "You've been hanging out with Ryumi-chan behind my back. What kind of friend does that?!" he calls out frustrated.

Fuji blinks in surprise. "Hanging out with… Eiji, are you jealous?" he questions, not wanting to sound amused, but he can't help it.

"Mpf! Not jealous! But… You know I…!" he doesn't finish as he opts for clenching his jaw.

Fuji smiles disarmingly. "Saa. You are." he points out, making Eiji fume even more.

Fuji's smile falls, addressing Eiji seriously, "Eiji, I admit… Ryumi-chan is a very special girl. I would be lying to you if I say I don't feel a little attracted to her, but I wouldn't try to date her, despite how I joke about it. I can't, even if I'd like to." he states, making Eiji falter, though he still looks skeptic.

"And why is that?" he asks, still tense.

Fuji smiles again, though this time more gently. "I wouldn't get in the way of a friend." he states simply, making Eiji blink in surprise. It is short lived however when a new frown is etched on Eiji's face.

"But I saw you two together yesterday. You've been getting together often, being real secretive about it too!" he points out.

To his surprise, Fuji doesn't deny it, only nods to confirm it. "We are meeting in secret, but not for the reasons you're thinking about." he explains, making Eiji frown at him in confusion.

"I promised not to tell, and I will keep that promise, but despite that, for the sake of our friendship and to set your mind at ease… wait for a signal. I'll make it so I won't have to tell you." Fuji promises with a nod, before smiling amusedly. "Now, stop acting like a jerk to your friends." he tells him straight forwardly before turning around and leaving Eiji by himself to ponder over their discussion.

….

The next day, Eiji has found himself to have made up with Oishi, which didn't prove as difficult as the both of them thought. They just had to be their selves.

It must've helped though when finally Momoshiro returned, hanging his head in shame for missing out before Tezuka. And the captain wasn't planning in being lenient. Momo received a hundred laps around the court and a few days of picking up balls before he could start practice again.

Anyway, Eiji and Oishi decided to spend some time together after school to make up for lost time, however, Oishi couldn't help but notice his friend and partner being more fidgety than usual.

….

"Eiji, what's wrong? You've been looking at your phone every chance you get." Oishi points out worriedly.

Eiji looks up surprised, realizing what he's doing. "Ah! Sorry Oishi. I guess… I'm just a bit nervous." he admits, making Oishi blink in surprise. There isn't much that can make his friend nervous.

"Why…? I someone in the hospital?!" Oishi exclaims wide-eyed, making Eiji wave his hands about quickly.

"No, no! Nothing like that." he reassures, making Oishi sigh in relief.

"But…" the dark haired boy starts. "It's something really important right?" he asks carefully, making the question linger a bit. He hopes Eiji will tell him more about it.

Eiji gnaws on his bottom lip, nodding in reply. "Yeah, I guess so. But… I'm scared it's a bit silly too. I… I got mad at Fujiko for it. But… maybe I shouldn't have. I mean… she can do whatever she wants right?" he half mumbles, making Oishi strain to hear.

He is surprised to hear he had a fight with Fuji. He's one of his best friends. Then again, they had a falling out too.

"She?" Oishi asks, confused by Eiji's mumbling.

Eiji looks away, a blush dusting his cheeks. "Er… Uhm… Y-You know? Erm… R-Ryumi-chan." he stammers.

Oishi stares at him blankly for a moment, making Eiji elaborate. "W-well, I got mad at Fujiko for hanging out so much with Ryumi-chan. And well, he said he couldn't tell me why, but he would let me know how I could find out." he explains vaguely.

"Erm… So… are you mad that Fuji isn't hanging out more with you or… that he is hanging out with Ryumi specifically?" Oishi questions carefully, trying to understand the situation.

Eiji scratches his nose awkwardly, shifting. "Him hanging out with Ryumi-chan." he confesses before sighing and closing his eyes. "Argh! Fujiko was right! I am jealous!" he calls out, quickly hiding his face.

Oishi jumps in surprise before smiling, patting his friend on the shoulder in comfort. "Eiji, do you like Ryumi?" he wonders. He receives a loud sigh in reply as Eiji sinks into himself even further.

"I see." Oishi breathes with a smile, happy for his friend even though it causes him to worry his head off.

A sudden ping makes Eiji's head snap up, his blue eyes on the message on his phone within seconds. His eyes widen. "It's Fujiko." he states, staring at the message:

 _'_ _Tennis park nearest library. 30 minutes.'_

"What should I do?" he asks quietly, unsure now.

"You should go. You'll keep worrying if you don't and Fuji invited you didn't he? It will be okay." Oishi assures him, making Eiji look up at him with uncertainty before it disappears.

"You're right! I'm gonna sort this out! Hoi hoi!" he calls, jumping up. "Ah, sorry for leaving so suddenly Oishi. Excuse me this time." he offers, making Oishi wave it off.

"Don't worry about it. Good luck Eiji!" he tells him, giving him the thumbs up, receiving the gesture in return before the redhead darts off.

* * *

 **Eiji has a bit of a jealous streak here. He's finally coming to term with his feelings too. But what will he do with them?**


	26. Chapter 26

He can't believe his eyes…. Fujiko and Ryumi are… practicing.

He imagined all kinds of things on his way to the courts, but this wasn't it. This raises a whole bunch of new questions; Since when, how, and why is Ryumi able to start playing again?

He observes her play and thinks something is really familiar about it, but he can't really put his finger on it. Whatever it is, she and Fuji are pulling off one heck of a long rally.

Suddenly his sharp eyes focus and a tiny twitch of muscle in Ryumi's leg and forearm and her form starts to shift. She only moves a little, but her stance is wound up like a spring before transferring that energy into the ball with a swinging backhand.

He watches the change in the spin of the ball, making it curve away from Fuji and slam into the outmost corner. Any further and it would have been out.

"Saa, where have you been hiding that?" Fuji questions her with a smile, relaxing his stance.

Ryumi grins in return. "I've had it all along. You would know if you even watched a single playback of one of my matches." she points out.

"Mh~? Are you planning to make me run then?" Fuji wonders, clearly interested to take it up a notch now the girl pulled that move on him.

Ryumi shrugs, chuckling. "One of us has too." she jokes.

Fuji matches her chuckle. "I'm going to have to pass. Maybe Eiji wouldn't mind though." he points out, making said boy stiffen a little from his spot beside the bleachers, just out of Ryumi's line of sight.

"Hm." Fuji muses. "Speaking of Eiji, I was wondering, why didn't you ask him to help you practice as well? You're really good friends aren't you?" he questions casually, making Eiji's eyes run to Ryumi, curious about the answer.

Ryumi pauses, before smiling wistfully. "Eiji… He's really nice." she starts, making Eiji flush a little. "He would take it easy on me I think. He just cares too much." she explains gently.

Eiji is tempted to scream that he wouldn't do that, wanting to be included in this, wanting to help, but before he does, he realizes she's probably right. He wouldn't take any chance in risking her getting hurt. Much to his dismay, he realizes he isn't the go to guy when it comes to this.

"So I'm not so nice then?" Fuji asks, pretending to look hurt, making Ryumi laugh.

She shakes her head. "No way. You're a sadist if I ever met any." she tells him.

Fuji's smile returns. "Well this sadist promised to go grocery shopping, so we have to cut this short." he announces.

Ryumi snorts. "Exactly my point. Well, I'm going to hit the showers then. See you Monday?" she asks, receiving a nod before she takes her things to the locker rooms.

Fuji stands there for a moment before turning towards Eiji, causing the boy to blink out of his stupor. He runs up to meet Fuji by the entrance of the court, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm so sorry Fujiko! I was being stupid. Please forgive me!" he begs, putting his hands together and bowing his head.

"Saa~." Fuji starts with a devilish smile. "You were being stupid, but I guess love makes guys do stupid things. You're not special like that." he points out dryly, making Eiji pout and growl at the same time.

"But you're forgiven. It was an easy mistake to make, so I understand. But Eiji, are you going to tell Ryumi-chan now about how you feel?" he wonders.

Eiji pauses, thinking it over before smiling wistfully. "I'm going to talk to her, but I'm not going to tell her that just yet." he says, surprising Fuji.

"I don't want to get in her way. She's going to become an amazing tennis player again soon, I can just tell. If she's going to be a big player in the tennis world, then the only way for me to keep up with her and prove I'm the right guy, is to become a big player too. From now on, I'm going to work even harder." Eiji explains passionately.

Fuji finally nods after a moment, a gentle smile returning to his face. "I understand." he muses. "If one day you do tell her, and she returns your feelings, it won't just be you being the lucky one. Ryumi-chan will be too." he say earnestly.

Eiji blinks at his friend before looking away bashfully. "T-Thank you Fujiko."

"Saa, good luck." Fuji tells his friend with a reassuring pat on his shoulder before leaving him there to wait for Ryumi.

…

Ryumi steps out of the locker room, her things packed up and ready to go, she halts however when she spots a lonely boy laying sprawled out on the bleachers, a breeze playing with his hair as he watches the leaves of the tree overhead dance in the sunlight

Ryumi watches for a moment before she can force her legs forward. She's a bit afraid. He now probably knows what she has been doing, or he will know as soon as he sees her bag.

She has been keeping this from him, despite him being one of her best friends. Heck, he is her best friend. He will be upset with her.

Finally she decides it's best to bite the bullet and closes in on him, sitting beside him, where his head lies. His large orbs catch her own as she looks guiltily down on him.

To her surprise he smiles. Rising to sit down beside her, he is the first to start talking, "You've been working hard. That's good." he states.

Ryumi needs a moment to reply, question in her eyes. "You're not mad at me for not saying anything?" she wonders.

He shakes his head gently. "No, I get it. You don't want people to worry right? And I would worry. But I saw you and I know I don't have to, so now, it's okay for me to know right?" he asks innocently, hoping he won't be excluded any longer.

Ryumi smiles happily. "Of course! I don't liking keeping secrets from people I care about, so now there is one less person to hide this secret from, I feel a bit better." she explains before turning to him with another apologetic look.

"But Eiji, I'm really sorry for excluding you and not spending more time with you. I made some silly excuses when I had practice with Fuji and I feel like I made a bad friend." she apologizes earnestly.

Eiji smiles softly at her in reply. "It's okay. Some things you can't do with me and that's fine. I'll support you whatever you d-… huh?!" he startles when he feels a pair of slim arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Thank you Eiji. I don't think there is a better friend for me out there." she mumbles in his shoulder.

Eiji blushes brightly. "A-ah, right! Don't you forget it, nya!" he exclaims, putting one arm around her to return the embrace.

Ryumi laughs at that before pulling away. "Ne, Eiji. Tennis makes me hungry. Let's go get some ice cream." she suggests.

Eiji grins in reply. "Alright! Ice cream it is! Last one there pays!" he calls, somersaulting right off the bleachers, landing nimbly on both feet.

"That's not fair!" Ryumi calls, hurrying down after him. Though she didn't have to because they walked side beside the entire way until they reached their destination where Eiji opened the door for her, thus sealing his fate.


	27. Chapter 27

"Saa. I suppose there is only one way to resolve this… a match." Fuji challenges.

Ryumi blinks in surprise, baffled. How did things spiral out of control like this? It was just a double booking of the court. There are others still free, so she suggested to go elsewhere, but Fuji put his foot down, certain he reserved first.

And, St. Rudolph's Mizuki is being just as stubborn, dragging an unwilling Yuuta into the mess with him.

Mizuki smirks. "Fine by me. This will not be a repeat from last time." he points out confidently.

Fuji smiles. "No, it won't. Because I suggest a doubles match." he states.

"Doubles?" Ryumi, Eiji and Yuuta wonder at the same time. Eiji has been joining in on Ryumi's practice for the last two times, trying his best to help.

Fuji nods. "I'm putting forth, Eiji and Ryumi!" he exclaims confidently, making the two share a shocked look while Mizuki and Yuuta look surprised.

Eiji turns to his friend wide-eyed. "Oi oi! Fujiko, what are you playing at? Is this alright?" he asks worriedly.

Fuji nods in reply. "Ryumi-chan will play at the baseline and you at the front like you usually do. With your experience and Ryumi's ball control in the back, she will be able to play her first match in a long time. As her coach, I give the O.K." he explains.

Ryumi draws in a nervous breath. "My first match." she whispers to herself uncertainly before turning her gaze to Eiji, who looks at her with a calculating gaze.

Finally he smiles. "Wanna give this a shot, Ryumi-chan?" he asks, putting his fist out.

Drawing in another breath to calm her down, she taps his fist with her own. "Okay Eiji. I trust you as my partner." she tells him, making him nod in understanding. He won't let her down.

"Hey! What the heck is this?" Mizuki mutters before Yuuta stops him for making a fuss about it.

"I look forward to playing another Echizen." he states, positioning himself in the back of the court.

Ryumi smiles at him in thanks, also taking her place at the baseline. She feels excited at the prospect of playing an earnest game. Her last doubles game must've been ages ago though, so she hopes she can do it right for Eiji.

"Alright then." Mizuki sighs, setting himself up by the net before smirking over at Fuji who stands at the sideline confidently. "You will regret this."

"I doubt it." Fuji counters calmly.

Eiji grins excitedly as he faces Mizuki. "Let's do this! Hoi hoi!"

…

A murmur runs trough the gathered crowd. Word got out fast that St Rudolph players have started a match against two Seigaku players, though what really got people running over, is that one of them is a girl.

"4 games to 4. Echizen to serve!" calls the middle school student who offered to referee the match.

*Snap*

"Wha~. Inoue-senpai is missing out here." Shiba breathes in amazement, snapping a few more pictures as Ryumi serves a controlled ball. Shiba knows she should probably call Inoue, but she can't tear her eyes away, so she opted on a quick text during the court change.

"15-love!"

Ryumi is breathing hard, a small frown on her forehead. Eiji looks over at her, noticing that she is getting tired. "Ryumi-chan! Let me do my thing!" he calls, making her look over, trying to understand what he wants her to do. "You can count on me!" he adds.

Ryumi's eyes brighten and she nods. Yuuta is great at returning her serves and he often targets her for the return. However, if she can give the ball the right spin…

She serves her next ball, watching as Yuuta catches up to it and returns it, but his eyes widen a little when the ball does not go where he thought it would go. He could feel it wouldn't do what he wanted the moment it hit his racket. And there is goes, straight into Eiji's awaiting racket.

"Zannen, Munen, Mata Raishuu!" he calls, smashing the ball past an unsuspecting Mizuki and over to the opposite corner from Yuuta.

"15-15!"

"Hoi hoi! Nice work Ryumi-chan! Let's keep this up a bit longer!" Eiji cheers, making Ryumi nod determinately. She can do this!

Yuuta rubs at his forehead, wiping the sweat away as he stares at the opposite side of the court. "No wonder a freshmen like Echizen got so good." he smiles. "This is really interesting, isn't it Mizuki-senpai?" he asks his partner of the day.

"Ah~. Interesting indeed. And frustrating too." he admits, heaving a sigh. "How can two players who never played together before play so well together? Never mind one being a girl, that is frustrating enough as it is." he moans.

Yuuta chuckles, he's not sore about it at all. He's having a really good time actually. "Good chemistry I guess." he answers.

"Mh. I guess you're right, Yuuta-kun." Mizuki muses, gazing at the duo opposite them and assessing their interaction. There is a large amount of trust and dependence between the two he notes and they manage to whip each other up. That, along with Ryumi's adaptability and ball control, alongside Eiji's energy and reach… They make a good pair.

"Yuuta-kun, we can't take it easy on them." Mizuki tells his junior, who nods in understanding.

…

"Shiba! What's going on?" Inoue calls, wrestling his way through the onlookers, only to gasp when he sees who's on court.

"Inoue-senpai, finally! Take a look at this. Ryumi-chan is making a comeback in inter-sexual doubles! So cool~!" Shiba gushes.

The reporter takes a moment to gain his breath and observe the match, a smile growing on his face. "She's been working hard right under everyone's noses huh? This will make a good piece in this month's magazine." he muses.

…

"Game, set and match! 7 games to 6! Kikumaru and Echizen pair win!" the umpire calls, making a roar of comments mixed with cheers rush over the courts.

Eiji jumps up and down in excitement besides Ryumi. "We were totally awesome Ryumi-chan!" he exclaims.

"Yeah." Ryumi can't help but agree. It worked out way better than she thought. They managed to cover each other's weaknesses well. But despite how well it went, both are spent.

"Well well." muses Mizuki holding out his hand for the winners to shake. "Guess the court is yours. Felt really strongly about it, did you?" he teases.

Ryumi shakes his hand. "You can have it Mizuki-san. I'm done for today." she tells him before turning to Yuuta. "Thanks for playing us seriously, Yuuta-kun." she tells him.

He nods. "Of course. I learned a lot. Makes me want to play doubles more often." he admits before looking around. "That's quite the crowd." he notes, watching them slowly disperse.

Ryumi looks around as well at that. She didn't even notice. She was too caught up in the game and perhaps she is still a bit used to crowds from her heydays in the US.

She realizes that word will go around soon about their match and sighs in dismay. Eiji pats her back sympathetically, knowing what she is thinking. All secrecy is out the window.

She turns to Fuji. "Happy, coach?" she asks him, receiving a proud smile.


	28. Chapter 28

"I get it." Ryumi nods to her little brother. "Monkey King suits him." she agrees before stuffing her mouth with fried tofu.

They are discussing the upcoming regional match against Hyotei. Tezuka and Oishi went to the drawings at Rikkai Dai Fuzoku a few days ago and witnessed how they got paired against Atobe's team.

"I don't think I'm going to get to play singles one against him thought." Ryoma sighs in dismay, having thought it fun to play him, if only just to annoy him.

"Mh. I think Tezuka will want to take that one himself." Ryumi muses before a loud 'Ahem!' sounds across the table.

Their dad has been staring them down for the past ten minutes now, tennis magazine opened prominently in front of him.

"You want something, oyaji?" Ryumi wonders, brow raised, making Nanjiro's twitch in annoyance.

"W-want something?!" he exclaims flustered. "When are we going to address the elephant in the room?!" he asks, eying her.

Ryumi pauses, chopsticks hovering over her food before picking up another piece and stuffing it in her mouth and turning pack to Ryoma. "Let's take a break and see a movie today." she suggests, making the steam flow from her dad's ears.

"Ryumi… Please talk to your father." her mother cuts in, looking amused and worried at the same time, while Nanako chuckles.

Ryumi sighs. "Alright."

"Jeesh." Nanjiro breathes before addressing his daughter. "You're coming with me this afternoon. Movies are only for kids who do as their parents say." he tells her grumpily, making her pout.

…

After lunch she follows her dad to the shrine in silence, dreading the conversation to come. She really doesn't know what to expect.

Arriving there, she makes sure her rabbits are provided for before turning to her dad, finding him standing by the court, his old wooden racket in hand, resting on his shoulder casually.

"Yosh! Let's see what you can do. If you go around my back practicing, I hope you have something to show for it!" he challenges.

Ryumi looks at him uncertainly before grabbing the racket Ryoma keeps laying around. "Alright… Just don't break a hip old man." she sighs, making him chuckle.

She takes her place before him, looking confident, but on the inside feeling nervous. Her dad can me a harsh critic. If she plays a half-assed game against him, he will hand it to her for sure.

Nanjirou smiles smugly as he serves, immediately turning up the dial to position 'no mercy'. He won't go easy on her just because she is his daughter after all. There is no special treatment for his kids.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" he ask, trying to frustrate her as he aces another shot.

Ryumi growls, readying herself for the next one. "I'm not done yet." she huffs, before reaching the shot at last and returning it. Her dad counters it easily and before they know it they are starting on a long rally.

Glancing at Ryumi's feet, Nanjiro hums in recognition. "It's like that is it? Heh, you take after your old man!"

"For now!" she replies, returning another shot.

Her dad grins. "That's fine then, developing new skills. But one skill hasn't left your fingers it seems; you still control that ball like it's on remote control. What are you playing at?" he snickers, pushing harder as he seems to enjoy the challenge.

"Crud." Ryumi sighs as he breaks her momentum and has the ball swerving past her.

She glares at the yellow ball rolling away from her happily for a moment before turning back to her dad who grins and gives her the peace sign. "Gotta work harder to get it past me kiddo!" he gloats, making her roll her eyes.

He then relaxes his stance, swinging his racket over his shoulder. "Promise me you are going to take it easy alright?" he urges seriously before smiling lazily when she nods.

"Get out of here." he motions with his head towards the entrance, giving her permission to spend the rest of the day however she wants.

Excitedly she rushes off towards home, ready to drag Ryoma to the movies. Only when getting there she discovers that Momoshiro has snatched him away already.

"Noooo!" she exclaims dramatically, falling to her knees.

"What are you doing?" a voice questions from behind making Ryumi look back, her mouth still half agape.

"Oh, hi mom." she smiles, receiving one in return.

She sets the groceries down on the counter and Ryumi jumps up to help her put it away. "Did everything go well with your father?" her mom question, receiving a nod.

"That's good. I was confident it would." she smiles brightly before yanking a packet of cookies out of Ryumi's hands that she was already starting to open.

Ryumi pouts before smiling. "You always think positively mom."

Rinko nods in reply. "Of course. Someone has to have your back at all times, even if her kids and husband do silly things at times. That's what mothers do." she muses before turning to her little girl.

"Ryumi, let's go downtown today, just you and me. Let's shop and eat some cake after." she suggests excitedly. "It's been so long."

Ryumi looks at her surprised before returning her enthusiasm. "Okay, lets eat! You're the best!" she exclaims pulling her mom in a hug, making her laugh in delight as she returns the gesture.

"I'm going to get my purse." Ryumi states, rushing upstairs.

Rinko watches her go with a happy sigh. The girl has grown so much since coming into her life, but they have always gotten along. She's happy they do.

Despite not being Ryumi's birth mother and having no intention to replace her if Ryumi doesn't want her to, she feels all the motherly love she carries for Ryoma as well.

Rinko picks up the tennis magazine, smiling at the picture of her playing a doubles match with one of Ryoma's teammates. She lift a delicate brow as she looks over the boy looking back at Ryumi with an exited look in his eyes and something else… "Oh?"


	29. Chapter 29

"Every time… there is something…" Ryumi moans in frustration as she walks back to the guys. Here they are, ready to get the regional tournament going, but now Oishi was nowhere to be found. So she called and… Jeesh!

"What did he say?" Tezuka asks as soon as he sees her. He takes note of the unnatural twitch in her eye.

She sighs. "Pregnant lady…" she breathes, explaining all.

"No way!" Ryoma scoffs in disbelief, making her roll her eyes.

"I believe him. He isn't one to make up stupid excuses, unlike someone else I know." Ryumi tells him, eying her little brother pointedly as he pulls his cap further over his eyes. Momoshiro snickers at his expense, leaning a huge flag on his shoulder.

Momo has been really hyped up, having made headbands for the freshman all night long.

Ryumi looks over her shoulder to see that within the minute, Eiji and Momo have already dressed up Katsuo as Oishi. Poor kid.

"Anyway, I don't think he's going to make it. He told me he didn't want to leave the lady on her own." she explains to Tezuka. "Some predicament…." Tezuka hums in agreement.

Momo steps up suddenly. "I could go to the hospital and take his place. If I'm quick enough, we might make it in time for registration." he suggests. "Where is it?" he asks hurriedly.

"At central, two blocks from here." Ryumi tells him and he's off like lightning.

"Let's hope he makes it." coach Ryuzaki sighs.

….

"Hey Momo, come quick!" Eiji urges when the junior reappears. Oishi called to tell them he injured his wrist and leaves his spot open for Momoshiro to take. With only a minute left to enlist, they have to hurry.

"Looks like you've already done your warming up." Tezuka states, regarding the panting boy. Momo himself still looks a bit startled that he's even participating.

They quickly enlist before it's too late. But Oishi not being here, means Eiji and Momo will be playing together in doubles two. There is no guessing how that will work out.

Ryuzaki makes sure that the two unlikely doubles pairs, the other being Inui and Kaidoh, know what is at stake. If they happen to lose, their chances are slimmed down drastically.

Kawamura looks a bit insecure about facing Kabaji in singles three. Momo played against him before and he's all brute strength. There is no way Ryoma could face him, being still so short.

"I wonder if it's okay…" he hums.

"It'll be okay." Fuji quickly tells him. "Taka-san, you have been training hard for this day, right?" he reminds his teammate as he hands him his bright yellow racket.

"Do your best." he adds.

Kawamura smiles a little, not noticing everyone eying him as he stays calm. "Yeah." he commits, feeling better.

Suddenly his face starts to contort is different ways and Ryumi quickly hides behind Eiji. "He's gonna blow!"

No sooner than she said it, Kawamura unleashes his fury, "I'm BURNING!" he shouts, shocking everyone within close range.

"I'm getting heated up! Come on! I. AM. GREAT! Kaba-whatever or whoever…. Doesn't matter…." he starts to rent uncontrollably, causing Eiji to snicker in his hand. He always is greatly amused at Kawamura's outbursts. Just like Fuji, who is often the instigator, though he somehow always manages to keep a straight face.

Meanwhile, Ryoma sips his ponta uncaringly. He is too bummed out not to be selected this time around.

"Now," Tezuka starts as the teams are requested to get on the court. "Let's play without regrets!"

"Yes!"

…

"This is insane." Ryumi breathes, observing the chanting crowd that has gathered to cheer Hyotei on. Those cheering for Seigaku are just about completely drowned out by the noise.

The Ichinen trio and Sakuno give if everything they've got though. They don't want to be outmatched. Eiji and Momo look rather put off as they stand on the court though.

Facing them are Oshitari Yuushi and Muhaki Gakuto. The first is a bespectacled boy with dark blue hair and a smirk on his face while the second is perhaps just a little taller than Ryoma with a dark shade of red hair. Muhaki is at the net with Eiji.

The boy startles everyone by showing off his own acrobatic play right of the bat. Heck, it's impressive. Eiji takes the return either way, but then there is Oshitari…. They work well together.

Over the course of the match, Muhaki seems to have it out for Eiji, set to prove he's better. And he is really good, shattering Eiji's confidence piece by piece. It's worrying.

Ryumi hates seeing someone beat Eiji down like that, taunting him. And he's already in a tough spot without Oishi who usually leads the game. He has Momo depending on him now. That on top of Oshitari being able to make returns like Fuji can and all these Hyotei guys cheering so loudly. It's bothering her.

When they go change courts again she takes her chance and runs over to the discarded flagpole. "Jeesh! It's heavy." she mutters, hauling the thing upright with much difficulty.

"Here, let me help." someone offers, making her look up to see none other than Oishi.

"Oishi!" she smiles, pleasantly surprised. "Careful, you're wrist!" she warns.

He nods and together they lift the great flag. "Seigaku! Fight!" they shout in unison at the top of their lungs, making the boys look up at them in surprise.

Eiji and Momo gaze at them a while longer before turning to each other with a nod. They won't give up.

* * *

 **I want to say thank you for all the reviews I have been receiving. I'm so happy that this story does so well.**


	30. Chapter 30

They made it. Eiji and Momo ended up winning because Eiji took his place as the game-maker, supporting Momo from the baseline. Because of him, Momo was able to shine at the net with his jumps. It was something Oshitari and Muhaki couldn't adapt to.

"Thanks for the support, thanks very much." Momoshiro tells the flag-waving duo as they reach them.

"Anytime." Ryumi laughs before stumbling at the weight of the flag and straight into Eiji. "Ah, sorry! It's so heavy." she apologizes while he puts her upright again with a smile while Momo quickly takes the flag from her.

"That's okay, nya." Eiji assures her, pulling her to him with one arm, making her moan and whine that he's sweaty, struggling to get away from the unrelenting redhead. Oishi smiles knowingly as he watches the two banter with each other.

"Eh?" Ryumi suddenly starts, making Eiji halt. "Did my otouto ran off again?" she wonders, not seeing Ryoma anywhere. "He's always so rude to not watch his senpais play." she complains.

"Don't mind him. Sakuno-chan went after him. It'll be okay, that it will." Momo grins, making Ryumi grin in return.

"Love!" they call out in unison, reading each other's minds. They snicker at Ryoma's expense, making Eiji bounce up and down excitedly at the juicy gossip and Oishi sigh and scratch his head, feeling awkward.

Their attention is drawn back to the court when the students from Hyotei start back up their cheering after having remained frightfully silent after the loss of Oshitari and Muhaki. They see Shishido and Ootori step into the court.

"Next up will be Inui and Viper huh?" Momo muses, narrowing his eyes at the two.

"That's right." Oishi nods. "They two will have their first go as doubles partners."

"Inui must have formed a strategy by now. He will make good use of Kaidoh's strength. Let's hope it does the trick." Ryumi speaks up before sitting down, ready to watch another match that is surely to be an exciting one.

…..

"I don't want to watch!" Eiji wines as he observes another obliterating move from the opposing team.

"They're really tough. Unbelievable." Ryumi breathes. She especially didn't think the good-natured Ootori to be so relentless in a game. And she has rarely seen anyone with the determination that Shishido carries. Not even Kaidoh's new and improved Boomerang snake can compete with that.

"Game and match to Hyotei, 6 to 3!"

A roar of cheers erupts from the Hyotei students.

"That's a shame." Fuji sighs, resting his chin in his hand. It was an exciting match though. Anyone can agree on that.

"Yeah." Oishi agrees. "But they've both grown a lot."

"Taka-san." Ryumi calls, making the tall boy look up. "We'll be rooting for you now." she declares, making him nod shyly as he gets to his feet, obviously feeling the weight that is on his shoulders.

"Everyone…" he starts. "If we lose now, the seniors will have to retire right?" he muses. "But…" he continues, grasping hold of the flag with one hand.

"Taka-san! That's impossible with one hand!" Oishi warns, but the other boy doesn't listen.

"But… It's not over yet!" Kawamura calls, lifting the flag up high with just one hand, making everyone's eyes widen. He has really been working hard to become stronger. Even Hyotei's students are impressed as they murmur between themselves.

"Het hey! It's bad dane!" a voice calls from the top of the bleachers, making them look back to see Yanagisawa from St Rudolph is the one who spoke up. Beside him stand Yuuta.

Fuji's usual smile widens. "Yuuta! You came to cheer me on!" he deducts, making his younger brother flush in embarrassment.

"T-that's not it…"

Yanagisawa gets down to Kawamura's level. "Is this heavy?" he asks, taking the flag, only to stumble and fall on his ass.

"Are you okay?" Kawamura asks as he takes it back without a problem.

Sudden gasps in the crowd make him turn his head however to see Kabaji having lifted up his teammate Jirou with one hand. He seemed to be asleep, now suddenly waking up to find himself suspended in mid-air. He begins to flail like a fish until Kabaji puts him down.

After the display, Kawamura steps onto the court, but coach Ryuzaki calls him back as he forgot his racket.

Embarrassed he takes it from Fuji, only to have his mood turn an 180 degrees, but not as per usual. He looks focused. Though that last only a minute… "GREAT! C'mon c'mon… I'm burning!"

The quiet Kabaji steps onto the other side of the court, looking back at the ranting Kawamura emotionlessly.

"This will be something; two powerhouses competing." Ryumi muses, before pulling her little brother close as he finally returned. "So exciting!"

"Choking!" Ryoma calls, wiggling out of her grip and gasping for air.

"Rallying already?!" she gasps as she watches the two who started their match. She watches them take it up a notch with each return. Who's going to give out first? This can hardly be healthy.

Kawamura takes on another stance when his Burning attack reaches its limit. It's a copy of Ishida's from Fudomine Flat shot, but with both hands. He's going for his Hadoukyuu; his most powerful shot.

This causes Oishi to fuss, knowing it can do some damage.

Its speed is so great, Kabaji loses his grip and his racket goes flying. A couple more of those and the first game is his. He uses the same strategy to win his second match, but that is when things start to grow tense again.

Somehow, Kabaji has been observing Kawamura and to everyone's surprise, pulls off an Hadoukyuu of his own. It drills into the fence behind Kawamura.

When he tries it a second time, Kawamura returns it, but Kabaji does as well and manages to gain another point.

"Even though we knew he is not a player with just raw power, that guy learns his opponents techniques as they play. That means any data on him before the match is useless." Inui observes.

"It's like playing against yourself." Ryumi notes.

The game continues for a while longer like this until Kabaji has caught up to Kawamura.

Feeling cornered, Kawamura resorts to a single armed Hadoukyuu as a last resort which Kabaji copies. His teammates look on worriedly as they rally. This kind of strain can't be good for their wrists.

Finally coach Ryuzaki gets to her feet. "Stop it, Kawamura!"

In his surprise, he lets the ball bypass him. Ryuzaki calls him to her to give him a piece of her mind. He will only be allowed to use the double-handed Hadoukyuu from now on.

He listens to what Ryuzaki told him, but Kabaji however, feeling that the single-handed version is more powerful, still uses it. This causes Kawamura to revert back to using it as well, probably to level the playing field. He doesn't want to lose, no matter what.

"What's going on in his head? Taka-san." Oishi muses seeing Kawamura nearly destroy himself in the rally of his life.

Suddenly the ball hits the net and a racket hits the floor. It's Kabaji… His wrist gave out first.

"I… I can't play anymore." he says in a strained voice. His teammates gape at the bloodied handle of his racket. This took more out of Kabaji than anyone expected.

Kawamura gambled and won. No… he didn't. It's a draw. Kawamura drops his bloodied racket as well. None of them can continue.

"Hm." Ryumi sighs getting to her feet. "I suppose I'll get some ice and bandages for the both of them. Stupid boys." she scolds under her breath.

When she returns, Ryuzaki takes the material from her to treat Kawamura and she can go over to Kabaji.

"Kabaji-kun!" she calls, making him pause. "Let's treat that shall we?" she tells him, making him watch silently as she starts on her work.

Her eye starts to twitch when she feels several presences watching over her shoulder. She snarls, making Muhaki, Ootori and Shishido back up. "Oi. Give me some space here." she complains.

"Why are you here?" a voice cuts in, drawing her attention. She looks to see the team's reserve, Hiyoshi Wakashi staring at her without any clear emotion on his face.

"I owe him." she states as a matter of factually.

"Arn~." Atobe starts. "Was that charm really so important to you?" he questions, twirling a lock of his hair as he smiles in his usual condescending way. One look from Ryumi tells him all he needs to know.

"There." Ryumi states, finishing with Kabaji's hand. "Keep that ice on there for a bit." she tells him, making him nod obediently.

She looks over to see Fuji preparing for his match against Jirou. She glances over to see him snoring peacefully. "Better tell your friend not to keep Fuji waiting. It won't do him any good." she advices, before packing up her stuff and returning to her friends.

"Mh. Interesting girl." Oshitari muses.

"Yes." Atobe agrees.


	31. Chapter 31

"He's using Taka-san's racket?" Ryumi questions after returning to her friends.

Yuuta nods. "He's really taking this seriously." he muses, watching his brother closely.

They then look over to Ryuzaki who wants to take Kawamura to a doctor's to check him out, offering to take Kabaji with her as well. His coach lets him, having coach Ryuzaki then turn to the others.

"Who will take my place as bench coach?" she asks, eying everyone including Ryumi, who narrows her eyes instead of looking shocked, hoping to remind the woman of her vow.

However, before she can appoint anyone, Ryoma's already inside the court, sitting there like he does it all the time.

Ryumi scoffs. "Taking each chance he gets to observe Fujiko up close huh?"

His senpais eye him with either jealousy or annoyance. They all wanted a chance to sit there for once. He really is rubbing his senpais the wrong way. "Egoistical brat." Ryumi sighs.

"Oi, you call your brother names often?" Yuuta asks, raising a brow.

Ryumi shrugs. "All the time. It's my special privilege. You're lucky Fujiko is so kind to you all the time." she tells him, making his eye twitch.

"Yeah sure."

Ryumi laughs as Momo and Eiji try to pull him off the bench, but he's gripping the thing like his life depends on it.

"Get off!" Momo urges, tugging on Ryoma's shoulder.

"No way!"

"Get off!" Eiji tries tugging on his other side.

"No way! No way! No way!" Ryoma shouts stubbornly.

Suddenly they pause, seeing Fuji standing in front of them. "I don't mind." he tells them calmly, breaking them up.

Momo and Eiji pout, releasing the first year. "Echizen, this is a bad trait to have." Momo reminds him before he and Eiji leave him be.

Ryuzaki heads out with Kawamura and Kabaji leaving them to it.

Jirou has finally made it onto the court, still yawning and thus coming across like he's not taking it very seriously, but this guy beat Yuuta during the consolation matches, in just under fifteen minutes.

Fuji is to start serving and he has an unusual serve for his opponent. He twists the ball, serving an underhanded serve. It appears none of his teammates have seen him do this often.

Jirou stands ready to swing, but when he does, the ball disappears from his sight. All he is left with is the bounce it makes when it's behind him, rolling to a stop.

"That's a pretty cool Cut serve." Ryumi hums in interest as he does it again. It seems to have gotten Jirou's attention too as he's starting to look more alert.

He looks to his teammates in excitement. "This is really amazing! Did you see that just now?! Just now! Just now! Just now!" he repeats running up to his captain who is looking exasperated. "Hey, hey, Atobe! That guy is awesome! I'm getting really excited now!"

"Hey you. Get back quickly." the umpire warns him, making the boy rush back to the baseline, his eyes sparkling. There is nothing left of the sleepy character from before.

The match continues and they find out that Jirou has an unconventional way of playing, but it somehow works for him. When it comes to Jirou, it's all in the wrist it seems.

Fuji is quick to learn in not letting Jirou approach the net and keeps him back whenever he can, not letting Jirou use his specialty, though he has little choice when it's Jirou's service game.

That is when Fuji's counters come in. He even tells Ryoma that he's willing to show his last counter, which the boy has never seen before. Hakugei…

And it's something else. It appears a weak return at first before rising into a lob and with its spin, bounces back towards Fuji who catches it.

"Let's go again, before the wind subsides." he muses towards the amazed Jirou.

As the match continues, with Fuji playing his best play, Jirou is simply outclassed. Victory comes easy to Fuji, once again. There is no doubt why he's second to Tezuka.

Ryumi glances towards Yuuta whose eyes hold a spark of admiration. She smiles at that look in his eyes. It was one Ryoma once beheld her with as she did with Ryoga. One sibling looking up to the other…

She sighs ruefully, missing that feeling. Ryoma will not look at her that way again, that's for sure. He's grown too much for that. Before her accident he was already well on his way to reach her level. And now… Fuji is a lucky guy.

She closes her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. It doesn't matter does it? She wants Ryoma to become the best he can be and if that reaches a level beyond hers one day… well, so be it.

"You okay?" Yuuta asks beside her. She nods in reply, putting her smile back on.

"It's a trying day, isn't it?" she asks, making him nod hesitantly before glancing towards Ryoma in thought.

"My aim hasn't changed." he mutters to himself before setting his eyes on his brother in determination. Ryoma may want to reach for the sky, but Yuuta is happy if he can somehow surpass his brother, because in his world, there is no one better to try and beat.

…

"Echizen. Get your racket." Tezuka tells him, surprising Ryoma before he follows. He wishes to warm up for his match with Ryoma it seems.

When he returns, he passes his sister, pausing as she tears her eyes away from the onlookers from other teams that have gathered to assess them.

"Nee-san…" he starts, boring his eyes into hers. "I need you to start working harder." he states, making her eyes widen a little. "So I can beat Tezuka-buchou." he explains.

Ryumi's silent for a moment before nodding. "Understood." she answers, watching him retake his seat on the bench in the court.

Perhaps she's still a hurdle on his track to greatness, and she has Tezuka to thank for that. She can't help but smile slightly. It's good to feel needed.


	32. Chapter 32

Tezuka Kunimitsu and Atobe Keigo… The stoic captain of Seigaku versus the flamboyant one from Hyotei. Both are players with strengths of their own, magnificent strengths at that. They're in a league of their own.

While Tezuka tries to control the game by using his Tezuka Zone, Atobe uses his Insight to pinpoint any weaknesses, that still being Tezuka's arm as it seems. Oishi thought the injury from long ago was out of the way, but…

For a long duration of the match, nothing seems amiss, despite Atobe pointing out that Tezuka's has a weakness he will take advantage of. Tezuka is still playing remarkably.

As the match is drawn out ever longer because of Atobe, the real problem is revealed. It's not his elbow that's causing him trouble, it has healed, but it's his shoulder.

Atobe wants the match to take as long as he can make it to strain Tezuka's arm as much as he can. Tezuka must know this, he must've figured it out, but to everyone's surprise he seems to go with the flow, welcoming a long match. It doesn't make much sense, but he must have a reason.

Winning… But is winning more important then your health? Supposedly, when it comes to these guys it is.

Although instigating the long match, it is starting to frustrate Atobe. After playing for an hour and a half, he hasn't seen the results he is aiming for. Tezuka is not showing any sighs of stopping. He's playing on sheer determination. Just one point left to go.

"No!" several gasps ring throughout the court as his racket slips from his fingers and collapses on his knees, clutching his shoulder.

"Tezuka!" Oishi shouts, jumping over the edge separating him from his friend and captain, the others right behind him.

"Don't come!" Tezuka's stern voice calls. "Turn back. The match hasn't ended yet." he tells his surprised teammates before picking up his racket and rising to his feet.

He takes a short break after scooting everyone out of the court again, during which Ryumi glances over towards Atobe. Despite having accomplished his goal, he doesn't look particularly happy about it.

"Not very satisfactory, is it Atobe?" she hums.

Despite everyone urging him not to continue, Tezuka stubbornly picks back up his racket and somehow Oishi seems to understand. He's worried, but he knows of Tezuka's determination. He wants to help them to the Nationals, no matter what.

"Seigaku!" a voice shouts over their heads, making them all look up to see that Kawamura has returned, picking up the flag without difficulty. Seems he's okay after all.

With him cheering in the background, the rest follows his example.

Ryumi watches her little brother speak to his captain before stepping off the court, bag in tow. To prepare, or is he anxious? Who knows? He can be so difficult at times. She gets up on her feet, following after him.

Ryuzaki will take his place now that she's back.

"Can I borrow a racket?" she asks when having caught up to him.

He looks over his shoulder for a moment. "Sure." he muses, letting her follow him to a court.

She takes one of his rackets before moving to the other side of the court, spinning it around in her fingers.

"Haven't seen you do that in a while." Ryoma muses to his sister, smirking. "Are you planning on getting serious?"

She returns the gesture. "My little brother asked me to work harder. Can't disappoint my chibisuke, can I? Just as you can't disappoint your team; They'll be counting on you. It's a heavy weight to carry. Are you ready for it?" she asks him, taking her place at the baseline.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

…..

Ryumi watches the ball roll to a stop just beyond the net, on her side. "Bummer." she hums. "You broke my zone."

"That wouldn't make a difference before." Ryoma speaks up, his voice lowering. "I remember your smashes…" he adds quietly, making her smile in sadness.

She steps up to him, meeting him at the net. "What's bothering you?" she asks him, bending down to his level.

He doesn't meet her eye, but instead grips his racket tighter.

"Ryoma?" she urges. He still won't answer.

She huffs as she jumps over the net, startling him. "Nee-san! Huh-…?"

"It's fine." she tells him, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay to feel intimidated by the pressure when you see those you look up to fall. It's sensible. But don't dwell on it. You shouldn't let anyone or anything stop you from reaching your goals, not even yourself. You create your own fears you know?"

They're silent for a moment as he wraps his arms around her middle. "There is nothing that can touch you." she whispers, making him look up to her questioningly.

Ryumi smiles. "My mom told me that when I was upset as she held me."

Ryoma looks up at her in awe for a moment. His sister hardly ever mentions her birth mother.

"Nee-san…" he starts, making her hum in reply. "Nothing can touch you as well, as long as I'm here." he tells her, squeezing her a little tighter before letting go.

Ryumi's eyes water slightly as she watches him turn around and get his stuff before returning to the court. "I know." she sighs.

….

Tezuka losing to Atobe was a great shock to anyone, even Atobe himself. After a tie-break that seemed to go on forever, it finally came to an end. Tezuka didn't make it.

However harsh it is, they have to move on. The substitutes are up now; Ryoma and Hiyoshi.

Hiyoshi is a much talked about character. Many people are convinced he's going to be next year's captain.

"15-0!"

"Is he even paying attention?" Ryumi blinks when the first serve passes him by without him even moving.

Momo shrugs. "Maybe he's doing it on purpose?" he suggests, making Kaidoh scoff.

"He's not all they make him out to be." he mutters.

Ryumi smiles knowingly as Ryoma keeps hitting Twist serves, giving Hiyoshi hell. "I second that Kaidoh-kun. But it's not just that… Ryoma's being especially merciless."

"Of course…" she muses as she watches him copy Tezuka's Zero-shiki drop shot. He's been paying close attention, but Inui conducts that it was a lucky shot, making Ryoma hide his eyes under his cap.

Hiyoshi attempts to fight back, but then Ryoma switches to his left hand and uses Drive B…. The match doesn't last all that long.

Elated, they pack up their things after saying greetings to the Hyotei players. They get to proceed to the quarterfinals and have a few days to relax before facing the next team.

…

The next morning as the boys are at morning practice, Ryumi finds herself staring at the ceiling as her Physical therapist complains about the stiff tendons around her knee.

"I don't know what you've been doing…" he sighs. She decided not to tell him that she recklessly jumped over a net the day before.

"Alright… off you go." he tells her before sending her on her way.

Thanking him, she steps out of the office, just as Tezuka steps out of the doctor's office.

"Tezuka…" she breathes, meeting his eye. They both nod at each other before walking out of the hospital, side by side. There is nothing to be said; they know how it is.

"We won't make it to first period. No use dropping in on a class halfway…. Tea?" Ryumi suggest. Tezuka nods in agreement.

….

*Ping

"Not again…." Ryumi sighs, setting her cup down and looking at her phone. Arai is causing trouble for the freshmen again.

"What is it?" Tezuka asks, sipping on his coffee on the opposite side of her.

Ryumi smiles. "You would have known if you haven't left our group chat." she tells him pointedly.

Tezuka sighs. "Inui's initiatives were getting a bit overbearing." he confesses, making Ryumi chuckle.

She puts her phone away. "It'll resolve itself." she tells him, making him hum.

"Ryumi." he suddenly starts, making her look up to see him looking even more serious than usual.

"Yes?"

"I'll be leaving for a while." he states, making her eyes widen in shock for a moment. "The doctor referred me to a program abroad." he explains curtly. "I need someone looking after them while I'm gone."

Ryumi blinks up at him, still trying to take this in… "But Oishi…" she tries. He's vice-captain. The responsibilities will fall on his shoulders.

"Oishi will do fine, with an understanding friend by his side…" he counters quickly, knowing Oishi will have some trouble dealing with the pressure.

Ryumi nods slowly, leaning back again. "I understand." she answers quietly before looking back up at him. "Don't be gone too long Tezuka-kun. We'll miss you too much."

He nods. "Understood."


	33. Chapter 33

"Go Golden pair!" Ryumi cheers along side the first year students that are tagging along as Eiji and Oishi participate in a game of volleyball.

Today is club mix day and everyone can participate in a club of their interest as long as it's not their own on a day like this. The dynamic duo went for volleyball. They play together just like they would in tennis.

Quickly they force their way to victory, but that isn't surprising anyone. By then Fuji has joined them.

As the first years hurry over to watch baseball next, Fuji turns to Ryumi. "Saa, Ryumi-chan. What will you be doing today?" he wonders as Eiji and Oishi walk up to them.

Ryumi grins, giving him the peace sign. "I'm giving you three guesses."

"Hm?" he muses, thinking it over. "Chess?" he guesses, making her chuckle.

"Try again."

"Bow shooting. I can see you doing that." Eiji butts in, happy to play the guessing game.

"Nope." she answers.

"Well." Oishi starts, "Maybe I'm being obvious, but you're not in the tennis club…" he tries, but Ryumi shakes her head.

"I'm up after lunch. If you guys want to find out, meet me after." she tells them with a wink before waving them goodbye, leaving them guessing.

…..

"Swimming huh?" Oishi muses as he watches Ryumi step up alongside the other girls, dressed in a blue swimsuit and tugging her hair away in a cap.

"Interesting…" Inui mutter, taking notes before his notebook is snatched away by Eiji who swings it at the back of Momo's head, who he found to be gawking a little too much.

"Itai! Eiji-senpai!" the junior complains as Kaidoh watches in amusement, barely able to suppress a blush at seeing all these girls in swimsuits. He tries to look everywhere but at them.

"Don't look at your senpai like that!" Eiji warns, making Momo sink into himself, mumbling.

"Mh? You don't think Ryumi-chan looks pretty Eiji?" Fuji taunts, making him grow red.

"That's not the point!" he defends himself, making Fuji chuckle.

"Please quiet down." Kawamura urges them, seeing several girls glare their way at their rowdiness. He looks around apologetically.

At the sound of the whistle, the girls shoot forward, diving into the water before using the butterfly stroke to hurry to the other end of the pool. Ryumi is doing pretty well.

"Go Ryumi-senpai!" Sakuno cheers as the five inseparable first years join the regulars in watching.

Finally she comes in third, receiving compliments from some of the other swimmers. "Ryumi seems to have a lot of experience in swimming." Inui notes, now having repossessed his notebook.

Fuji nods. "It's part of her rehabilitation. Two hours each week."

Eiji sighs. "Now I feel like going swimming. It's hot today." he moans, fanning himself.

"Let me cool you off." a voice interrupts before a large wave of water comes their way, making them jump away, though Kaidoh and Momo run into each other, receiving the full brunt after.

"Ryumi-chan~!" Eiji complains, shaking out his hair from the few droplets that settled in there.

She laughs as she gets out of the pool, taking her towel from Sakuno. "You asked for it. Huh? Eiji, what are you doing?" she asks frightfully as he suddenly grins mischievously.

She backs away as he stalks towards her before trying to make a dash for it, but Momo's in her way. She squeals as she feels a pair of arms wrap around her from behind, Momo quickly taking hold of her feet.

"One… Two… Three!"

"Aaah!" Ryumi screams as she goes flying before being swallowed by the water. She surfaces, sputtering. "You jerks!" Momo and Eiji high five each other, pleased with their work.

"Jeesh." Ryumi grumbles as she tries to get out of the pool again. "At least give me a hand you two." she scolds.

They each reach out a hand and she takes a firm grip around their wrists before quickly setting her feet against the edge and pushing off with all her strength. "Waaah!"

Two splashes follow and Ryumi quickly climbs out with Fuji's help before she has to face their wrath. "Have fun boys!" she winks, throwing the two drenched tennis players an air kiss before hurrying to the changing rooms.

"How did you fall for that?" Kaidoh asks Momo as he crawls onto dry ground.

"Do you want to have a go Viper?!" Momo rebukes, making Kaidoh hiss in return.

"Try and see what happens." he threatens back.

Fuji chuckles. "Are you okay Eiji?" he questions the boy who looks more like a drowned cat.

"Fresh!" he calls out, shivering.

Oishi quickly hands him a towel. "Dry up before you get a cold. You too Momo." he tells the two of them.

"Whaaa! I'm cold Oishi! Hug me!" Eiji complains, scooting closer to his friend who quickly backs up before breaking out into a run as Eiji follows in pursuit. "Just a little bro-hug Oishi!" he laughs evilly.

"No way!"

…

After they're all cleaned up and dry, the day is nearly drawing to an end. They all gathered in the gym to take witness of Fuji's chosen sport, including Ryoma who finished his Ping-Pong match with success.

They all watch silently as Fuji pushes the stone towards its destination, a bit taken aback.

"I see, curling." Ryoma muses.

"Why Fujiko?" Ryumi asks him dumbfounded. "There is no one here but you."

"Exactly." he states with a happy smile. "Victory is mine."

Typical.

The onlookers all sigh in unison, knowing they'll be here for a while longer watching the most boring game of curling the world has ever seen.


	34. Chapter 34

"Oh?" Eiji looks up to see dark clouds that are starting to release their contents. "Better call it quits." he muses, turning back to look at his love interest who stands ready for his serve.

"Ne, Ryumi-chan. We'd better go." he urges, making her straighten up, only to receive a thick droplet of water on her nose.

"I guess you're right." she agrees, before rushing over to her things when the few drops turn to many.

"Over here!" Eiji urges, having found a tree to find shelter under, making her drag her stuff over there in a hurry.

It's just the two of them practicing today, with Fuji having other engagements. So they just decided to play against each other seeing as they haven't done that before.

"Mh, it doesn't look like it will let up soon." Ryumi muses. "And I forgot to bring an umbrella." she groans before squeaking as a cold and heavy droplet falls from the leaves above and into the back of her shirt.

"Eiji, this tree is starting to leak!"

"Ah!" he gasps as another thick droplet splashes onto the top of his head. "Guess we have no choice but to go trough it."

Ryumi pouts at the thought, knowing they'll get soaked. She glances at Eiji and does a double take. "What are you doing?" she asks him as he takes off his regular jacket.

He steps up to her with a smile before draping it gently over her head, effectively making her blush. "I don't want you to get sick." he explains innocently.

"Eiji…."

"Okay, let's go!" he exclaims, grabbing her hand before dragging her out into the rain behind him.

They run trough the unrelenting downpour, stepping into deep puddles along the way. Eiji guides Ryumi through the streets that have emptied by now until reaching a red roofed house.

Eiji pulls out his keys, hurriedly opening the door and pulling Ryumi inside with him. There they stand catching their breaths for a moment before a sudden gasp makes them turn to see a young lady.

"Eiji! You're both soaked." she gasps.

"Oh, sis! It's pouring outside." Eiji explains as Ryumi looks at Eiji's sister curiously. He told her he had two older sisters and two older brothers.

This must be the younger of the two sisters as the eldest is living on her own already. She has long light brown hair and eyes similar to Eiji's.

Sensing her gaze, she turns to Ryumi with a smile. "Hello. Let me guess… Echizen Ryumi. I'm Eiji's sister, Hanako." she introduces.

Ryumi blinks in surprise. "Nice to meet you, but… how did you know?"

The other girl smiles widely. "My little brother talks about you a lot. He's very descriptive." she explains, making Eiji's eyes widen in alarm and Ryumi blush.

"Come on. Let's get you something dry to wear." she urges, taking Eiji's jacket from me and hanging it up to dry. "You can borrow something of mine."

"Oh. Yes, thank you." Ryumi says shyly, following after the girl hesitantly after taking off her shoes. She glances back at Eiji who smiles at her encouragingly.

…

"Well, that's a lot better isn't it?" Hanako hums after seeing Ryumi to some dry clothes.

Ryumi nods with a smile, finally feeling warmth returning to her. "It is. Thanks a lot Hanako-san."

Hanako waves it off before escorting her out of her room, a smile ever present on her face.

She knocks on one of the other doors upstairs and Eiji opens it a second later, dressed in fresh clothes also, a bright yellow towel still draped over his head.

"Here she is." Hanako announces, making Eiji step aside.

"Thanks sis. Take a seat anywhere Ryumi-chan." he urges, before turning his attention to his sister once she entered his room. She has been poking his arm excessively.

"Ne, ne. You were right. She's really pretty Eiji." Hanako whispers in his ear, though too loud to hide it from Ryumi, who turns around to hide her blush.

In reaction, Eiji pushes his hand in his sister's face, moving her out to the hallway before quickly shutting the door. His face is red with embarrassment.

"He he he." he chuckles awkwardly as he turns to Ryumi. "Sorry about that."

"Ah… Don't mind it. She's really nice." she assures him before looking around curiously. She's never been here before though they have been friends for months now. She takes note of all the posters on the wall of pop groups.

"You really like music, don't you Eiji?" she asks, hoping to dispel the awkwardness.

Eiji's expression brightens. "Yeah, nya! Want to listen to some?" he asks, making her nod from her spot on his desk chair.

"I'd love to. I haven't listened much J-pop since coming here. I'm sure you know what's good." she agrees.

"Okay! I'll have you up to date in no time!" he says as he rummages through loads and loads of CD's.

That is basically how they spend the rest of the afternoon, listening to music and talking about their favorite things.

Finally a knock on the door interrupts them and Hanako opens the door slightly to peek inside. "Sorry to interrupt, but mom wanted to know if Ryumi-chan will be staying for dinner."

Eiji turns to Ryumi questioningly. "I'll have to ask my family, but I'm sure it's okay. I'd like to meet the rest of your family Eiji." she tells him, making him grin.

"Okay!" he cheers. "I'll go make my specialty, hoi hoi!" he declares, jumping up and rushing out the door and down the stairs, making Hanako laugh at his antics.

"Huh, Eiji can cook?" Ryumi asks in wonder, making the other girl nod.

"Yeah. He's pretty good at it. Call your family and we'll see you downstairs in a minute." she tells Ryumi who nods, quickly fishing out her phone.

She spoke to her mom who was fine with it, while in the background she heard her dad bickering with Ryoma and Nanako trying to shush them. She then went downstairs where she met Eiji's parents and his brothers. All were very nice, but seemed to enjoy having a laugh at his expense now and then, causing some awkward moments.

Ryumi really relished in Eiji's cooking though. Hanako wasn't kidding. He made a nice stew suited for a rainy day. It warmed her insides right up.

After dinner, the rain finally relented and after putting back on her now dry clothes, Eiji offered to walk her to the bus.

"You have a really nice family Eiji." Ryumi compliments again after a moment of silence.

"Thanks. I guess they are if they don't pick on you." he pouts; still sore about some of things they said that embarrassed him to no end.

Ryumi smiles. "They only pick on you because they love you. My dad embarrasses me all the time." she laughs, thinking of all the times he put her in a position where she'd rather be swallowed by the earth.

He finally smiles. "I guess so."

*Ping

"Ah sorry, that's probably him." she apologizes, fishing her phone out of her pocket only to see it's not her dad, but Ryoga instead.

 _'_ _Hey kiddo. Call me when you get home. Dad said you were out and I wanted to talk to you about a certain someone I saw in a mag. Love, your ani.'_

Ryumi smiles ruefully. News spreads fast doesn't it?

"What is it?" Eiji asks curiously, watching her expression.

"Ah, my aniki asks me to call him when I get home. Seen my face somewhere in a magazine apparently." she explains making his eyebrows raise with more curiosity.

"Aniki? You have another brother?" he questions.

Ryumi nods. "He's still in the US, but we keep in touch. I suppose Ryoma never mentioned him either."

Eiji shakes his head.

"That's not surprising. He doesn't know him as well as I. We have different mothers." she explains quietly.

"Ah~." Eiji muses, mulling over this for a moment. "But, does that mean that your real mom is still in the US too?" he wonders innocently.

Ryumi shakes her head, gazing at the glistening wet street in front of her. "My mom passed away a long time ago." she explains, making Eiji's expression sadden before growing upset.

"I'm sorry nya! I shouldn't have asked. Stupid!" he scolds himself, knocking himself on the head, making her chuckle and reach over to stop him from doing it again.

"Don't worry about it Eiji. It was a long time ago. I only have good memories of her now and Rinko is a really good mother to me." she explains.

Eiji sighs in relief. "I'm glad." he breathes, before staring down at the hand wrapped around his. His heart skips a beat.

Ryumi seems to have noticed as well and blushes, swallowing hard.

Suddenly the sound of a heavy vehicle makes them both glance up to see the bus coming around the corner. "Ah, I gotta run! Thanks for everything today Eiji." she tells him hurriedly, letting go of his hand before rushing towards the bus stop.

Eiji has half the mind to clutch her hand tighter and not let go, but decides against it. It's not the right time yet to talk about his feelings. He stands there for a moment, watching the bus disappear out of sight before sighing heavily.

"Why is this so difficult?!" he shouts towards the sky, receiving rain in return, causing him to growl and turn on his heel before rushing back home before he gets drenched a second time.

* * *

 **Kyaaa~! Don't you just want to squish them together like; 'Now kiss'! They are so cute together. They must be the best couple I created yet, though they are not officially together yet, but you get the gist.**

 **Let me know your thoughts!**


	35. Chapter 35

Ryumi crosses the street absentmindedly before climbing the staircase. Reaching the practice wall, she dumps her bag onto a bench close by before taking out her racket and a ball.

It's quiet around as she starts practicing on her own, alternating between using her backhand and her forehand.

A flutter in the corner of her eyes makes her throw a quick glance at the folder sticking out of her bag for a moment before returning back to practicing before she loses the ball.

Doing this repetitive swing practice makes her able to think about what she discussed earlier with coach Ryuzaki. It's a lot to think about….

 _"_ _Echizen, follow me to my classroom for a minute." coach Ryuzaki urges her, making her and Ryoma share a look before Ryoma starts following after her._

 _"_ _The other one!" Ryuzaki calls before disappearing around the corner._

 _Another shares look and a shrug. "I'll see you later chibisuke." Ryumi tells him, pulling his cap over his eyes before sauntering after the coach, hearing him grumble._

 _Once inside, she steps up to the window seeing the courts below. The students are all busy practicing while the regulars are running laps around the court._

 _"_ _Here, take a look at this." Ryuzaki says, making Ryumi look over to see her holding out a red folder._

 _Ryumi eyes the cover, blinking in surprise at the flashy words greeting her. "Intersexual doubles preliminaries?" She looks up at Ryuzaki with question in her eyes._

 _"_ _It's an experimental competition brought to life to bring boys and girls tennis closer. I though it might interest you." she explains as Ryumi looks through the pages._

 _"_ _Is this because of the doubles I played with Eiji? How do you know it isn't just a fluke?" she wonders._

 _Ryuzaki nods. "Ah~. Let's say I received some good data. It may not be what you'll eventually go for, but I think it might be a start. Plus, you'll help setting a new branch of the sport on the map." she explains with an easy going smile._

 _Ryumi glances outside towards Eiji, the one she knows she'll feel comfortable playing with no matter what. "He's a bit busy isn't he? I don't think I can bother him with this right now." she mutters, chewing on her lip._

 _"_ _Why don't you let him decide? Think about it." Ryuzaki urges gently._

 _Ryumi nods slowly. "I'll think about it."_

Her phone ringing breaks her out of her revere and she catches the ball before walking over to her bag. She fishes out her phone. "Moshi moshi."

"Ryumi-chan, it's a date." Inui's voice comes from the other side, making her blink in surprise.

"Inui?"

"Will you meet me at the ice parlor that serves your favorite sunday? We can follow them from there." he rattles, making her sigh.

"Sorry Inui. Not right now. Have fun though." she offers before hanging up on him.

From the other side of the line, Inui looks at his phone in question. "Odd." Normally he can bribe her to join him on spying on other people's business for ice cream. He'll give Eiji a try.

With another sigh, Ryumi slings her racket over her shoulder only to find her spot occupied.

"Oi!" she calls indignantly at the boy.

"You snooze, you lose." is the reply she receives.

"Are you always this rude, Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Kirihara-kun?" she shoots back, shifting her stance, not deterred by the boy.

He pauses, looking back at her. "You heard of me? Mmh, I must be more popular than I thought." he muses, making Ryumi raise a brow.

"I heard that you had been lurking around at Seigaku a while back, if that is what you mean. How did you end up all the way over here?" she questions, making him raise a brow this time around.

"You ask a lot of questions. Maybe I just like it here. It's not like I fell asleep on the bus or something." he explains defensively.

"Right. Whatever floats your boat I guess." Ryumi sighs. "So, you're not letting me play here anymore?"

Kirihara seems to think it over. "Mh… I guess I could scoot over a bit." he says, stepping to the side.

"Mh. Thanks." Ryumi tells him, taking the other side.

He stares at her for a minute, making her unable to even lift the ball, feeling too much like she's being scrutinized. "You want to say something?"

He blinks. "Ah~. You look pretty cute. What's your name?" he asks bluntly, making her stare at him in return for an awkward moment that Kirihara himself seems oblivious to.

"Echizen Ryumi and… thanks, I guess? You're pretty straight forward aren't you?" she muses, finally able to serve her ball and restart her practice now that his gaze isn't so intense. Kirihara does the same.

"Echizen? Related to Seigaku's first year regular Echizen?" he wonders, making Ryumi hum in confirmation.

Kirihara smirks at this. "Than I apologize in advance for his loss. Seigaku won't be getting passed us." he tells her, making her glance over unimpressed.

"We'll see."

….

"Well, see you around!" Kirihara waves as he saunters off after about an hour of practice. "It's getting too rowdy here…" he mutters under his breath, bothered by the shouts coming from the courts.

"Yeah, see you!" Ryumi calls back, before putting her stuff away. She wants to check out what's going on because she thinks she recognizes those voices.

She follows the path to the court, looking around in wonder as she sees her brother play doubles against Momoshiro and Fudomine's Akira Kamio with Fudomine's Ibu Shinji.

She spots Mizuki there playing referee and Fuji standing nearby. "Fujiko." she speaks up, announcing her presence. "What's going on?" she wonders.

He smiles his usual smile. "It's a date." he explains vaguely.

"Is this what Inui called me for earlier?" she wonders, making him nod. "I don't get it." she states after a moment.

"Perhaps you should ask Ann-chan." Fuji suggests, pointing to the benches where Yuuta, Yanagisawa and a young girl are. Nodding, she saunters over towards the bleachers.

"Afternoon!" she greets, making Yuuta smile down at her.

"Ryumi-senpai, you're here too?" he wonders, making her nod before turning to the young girl who looks up at her curiously.

"You must be Ann-chan, am I right?" she asks, making the girl smile brightly. "I'm Echizen Ryumi."

"Nice to meet you." she greets happily.

"So… what's going on here?" Ryumi asks again, sitting down beside her.

Ann's smile widens even more. "It's a date!" she states, making Ryumi look around at the situation once more.

"So I heard." she muses, though still confused. Will she ever find out what's happening? She sighs, giving up.

"Hey, what's this?" Ann wonders, picking up something off the ground. Ryumi's eyes widen as she spots the folder in Ann's hands.

"Intersexual doubles?" Yuuta questions, leaning over Ryumi to see what it is, before looking to Ryumi for answers.

Said girl quickly snatches the folder from Ann, stuffing it in her back. "It's just an idea I'm playing with. It's nothing yet really." she tells them quickly.

"Hmm." Yuuta hums in thought. "It's not a bad idea…" he muses.

Ryumi blinks up at him in surprise. "You think?" she questions before staring ahead of her in thought.

Finally she gets up, excusing herself, "Sorry, I have to make a quick call."

Taking out her phone, she searches her favorite contacts before pressing 'call'.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji's cheerful voice answers from the other end, making her smile.

"Eiji, it's Ryumi. Where are you right now?" she questions.

"Ah! Hi Ryumi-chan! We're at the street tennis courts near the park." he answers, making her blink in surprise.

"We? And where exactly?" she questions further.

"Me, Inui, Taka-san and Oishi. At the entrance. Why?" he wonders.

"Hold on." she says before walking towards the entrance, standing at the top of the staircase. "Look up."

"Huh?" she sees Eiji looking around before he finally spots her. "Ryumi-chan~!" he calls excitedly, making her flinch and quickly hang up her phone. Eiji smiles apologetically before he and the others rush up the stairs to meet her.

"What are you doing here?" Eiji wonders when he comes face to face with her, making her smile a bit nervously.

She looks towards the others first. "Your 'date' is happening over there." she points out before turning back to Eiji. "Can you please come with me Eiji? I want to ask you something." she asks him, making them all blink in curiosity.

"Ah… Of course." Eiji mutters, looking a bit bashful all of a sudden. They say their goodbyes before Ryumi leads the way to where she and Kirihara were practicing before.

She wonders what his answer will be.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I want to let you guys know that I will be gone for a few weeks, so no updates for a while.**

 **I will be vacationing throughout Kyushu Japan. I waited four years to be able to go back and I'm excited! I just hope this weekend's typhoon will be the last one.**

 **You will hear from me once I'm back, so please continue to let me know your thoughts on this part and the story overall.**


	36. Chapter 36

Ryumi and Eiji look to Oishi expectantly, holding their breaths as they await his verdict.

Suddenly Oishi's surprised face turns to one of happiness. "That's great!" he exclaims, making the two glance at each other with excitement in their eyes.

"So you're okay with it?" Eiji asks, just to be sure.

Oishi nods in reply. "Of course. If you two think you can take it, it's fine with me." he states, making them cheer as they receive Oishi's approval for them to play doubles.

"I promise I won't hog too much of his time Oishi. You guys getting to the Nationals is still top priority." Ryumi vows.

Oishi nods. "Thank you. But when will the first match be?" he wonders.

"The preliminaries will be after the regionals. It's to see if we are selected to participate. The actual matches won't start until after the Nationals." she explains.

Oishi smiles. "I'm sure you two will have nothing to worry about." he assures them.

"No we won't! Yosh! This calls for a group hug!" Eiji shouts excitedly, pulling Oishi and Ryumi to him, squishing the three of them together.

"Eiji, we're going to miss the train." Oishi laughs, squirming out of his friend's grip.

"Oh, right." Eiji muses, letting Oishi go so they can resume walking, he keeps a casual arm slung over Ryumi's shoulders though, who fights to hide a blush.

She remembers the day before. Eiji was immediately excited to have a go at this doubles tournament with her, the way his eyes lit up like a kid during Christmas… Why was she ever worried?

"How can you have this much energy at this time of the night?" Oishi chuckles, receiving a grin from the redhead in reply.

….

Ryumi looks around at everyone with a small smile. They all gathered late at night at the train station at Oishi's request. Their mission: to watch the sunrise at the top of a mountain. It will be the last thing they will do together before Tezuka is leaving.

It was such a shock to his team when Tezuka announced his leave, but over the last few days, they have accepted it more or less. Soon he will leave, for weeks, months…. Who knows? As long as he returns in good health.

"Well, let's get this party started." Momo says, ready to go. "We have a long climb ahead of us." he states, marching towards the right platform their train will be at.

"Fssh. Don't just take the lead like that." Kaidoh hisses, irking Momo.

"Last one on is a rotten egg." Ryoma tells them as he passes them in a leisure pace, making them break up the fight before it starts and rush towards the train that just rolled into the station.

They quickly settle down into their half an hour ride out of the city, playing cards, talking or just staring out the window.

….

"It smells nice here." Ryumi sighs after taking in a deep breath. They have just started their journey up the mountain and a light fog has settled down on them, but nothing to serious.

Eiji points his flashlight at her when he hears the rustle of a paper bag. "What's that?" he blinks curiously, watching Ryumi pop something into her mouth.

"Licorice." she answers with her mouth full. She hears Ryoma make a gagging noise behind her. "Want some?" she offers, holding out the bag.

Eiji looks skeptic for a moment before taking a piece. "Have you ever had any Eiji?" Fuji asks, watching his friend's face.

Eiji shakes his head. "Here goes, nya *gulp*."

Suddenly he holds his hands in front of his mouth and Ryumi swears on her life his face grows green. "It's okay Eiji. Just spit it out if you don't like it." she urges, not wanting him to choke on it.

"Blegh!" he dumps the contents of his mouth into a bush.

"Gross senpai!" Momo calls from slightly above them.

Fuji chuckles. "It's not for everyone." he muses, taking a piece for himself and popping it into his mouth.

"Here Eiji. Have some juice." Ryumi offers, handing him a bottle Inui just offered her.

"Ah, thank you." Eiji sighs, downing the contents quickly in hopes of getting rid of the taste. Suddenly he freezes, his face set in horror before he turns to the bush again, dry heaving.

"Huh?" Ryumi blinks in surprise before picking up the now fallen bottle and sniffing the contents. She turns to glare at a certain person behind her. "Inui!"

"Too bad. I had wanted for you to try it just once." Inui mutters, before turning away to sulk.

After a few minutes, Eiji manages to get himself walking again, though he hangs on Momo and Taka's shoulders for support for the first hour.

….

"Nee-san. You can still continue?" Ryoma asks his sister, a little worried. It's quite the trek after all.

Ryumi nods. "Yeah, I'm doing surprisingly well. Maybe because the path isn't so steep." Ryoma nods, happy with her answer.

"I think we're nearly there everyone!" Oishi calls excitedly, sprinting ahead. And he's right as the woods open up before them, leaving them standing at the peak on a platform overlooking the city.

"Just five more minutes until sunrise. We're just in time." Oishi sighs, checking his watch before looking back up over the city. There is still some fog hanging around and the clouds are a bit packed on the horizon, causing him to look a bit worried.

"I don't think we are gonna see anything." Momo hums, looking bummed out for having go through the trouble and have nothing to show for it.

Oishi hangs his head. "Sorry everyone…" he apologizes, but then a faint light hits their faces and looking at the few, they see the sky slowly clear up, just before the sun casts his glow over the city.

"Oishi, it's the sunrise!" Eiji calls, jumping up and down, making his friend look up and soon his face brightens with a smile.

"The sunrise…"

Ryumi grins at the sight before her, pulling her little brother to her in a one armed hug as the other guys cheer.

She glances towards Tezuka, who's eyes have turned from the sight before them to the spectacle the boys are making next to him, a hint of amusement and also sadness in his eyes. He won't ever say it out loud, but she's sure that he will miss hanging out with them.

…..

Momo snickers behind his hand so as not to make too much noise and disturb his source of amusement.

Fuji has already pulled out his camera to take advantage of the moment.

"It's not that funny." Ryoma mutters tiredly, turning to look outside and watching the landscape pass by in a hurry as the train rushes forward towards home. He thinks it's best to ignore the hysteria made by his sister and Eiji.

Fuji zooms in on the two who are fast asleep next to each other. Eiji has sagged into his seat, his head thrown back as he snores occasionally with his mouth hanging wide open.

Ryumi is seated beside him, leaning against his shoulder as she has curled up in her seat. She frowns suddenly as Eiji shifts a little and reaches up to fluff up his shoulder like she would a pillow before settling again.

"Kawaii!" Momo nearly squeals, making Kaidoh scoff at his childishness. Though even he is intrigued. A little gossip and intrigue is always welcomed in Seigaku and one of the greatest instigators, Inui, is scribbling furiously in his notebook.

Oishi smiles before turning to Tezuka who sits across him. "I suppose you heard about their plan to compete in a doubles tournament already?" he questions.

"Yes." Tezuka nods. "It's interesting." he states, not giving much else away.

Oishi hums in agreement. "They will find their way to the top together, one way or another."

 **Hi guys. I came back from holiday just last night. I'm still beat, but I didn't want you guys to wait any longer. I hope you had fun reading.**


	37. Chapter 37

"Ryumi, Ryoma's home and you have visitors." Nanako announces gently so as not to disturb her niece too much. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, I just woke up Nanako. You can let them in." Ryumi answers hoarsely. She rubs her throat, wincing in discomfort.

"I'll make you some tea with honey to ease your throat. Take it easy okay?" she urges, making Ryumi nod before Nanako is replaced by her little brother, Momo, Eiji, Oishi and Fuji. She can't help but smile a little at how crowded her room has become all of a sudden.

"I don't see any serious faces, so it went well I'm guessing." she speaks up before breaking into a fit of coughs. Oh how she hates being sick.

"Don't talk too much Nee-san." Ryoma scolds worriedly, before perking up a brow as Eiji steps past him, picking up a discarded pillow from the floor and helping his sister sit up more straight.

"It wasn't easy, but we made it through to the next round." Oishi confirms when Ryumi has settled down.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it." Ryumi apologizes.

"Ne, don't worry about it Ryumi-chan. We knew you were cheering us on anyway." Eiji consoles. Fuji nods in agreement.

Meanwhile, Momo looks over the sickly looking girl, seeing a sheen of feverish sweat covering her, bags under her eyes and a nose as red as a drunkards'. "You look awful senpai. This isn't how girls should be looking, not at all." he tsks, shaking his head, making Ryumi snort and Oishi reprimand him for his tactlessness.

Fuji steps up, setting down a small bag on her desk. "There is some menthol rub in here that my sister swears to, along with some other stuff to make you more comfortable." he offers, making her smile tiredly in thanks before turning her watery eyes up towards Eiji who is still sitting next to her head.

He's wringing out a cloth in the bowl of water on her bedside table before placing it gingerly on her forehead, instantly cooling it down. She sighs in contentment as he then proceeds to fan her heated face with a magazine. That is really nice.

"I'll open the window for some fresh air. It's stuffy in here." Oishi notes before doing just that.

"Better?" Eiji asks, making her nod slowly with a hum as her eyes start to droop again.

Momo nudges Ryoma. "Oi, your sister turned our senpais into her personal nurses. How does she do it?"

Ryoma looks on a little disturbed. "It's scary." he mutters.

"Here's tea." Nanako sings as she steps into the room with a tray before pausing at the scene in from of her, giggling. "Ne, you boys are taking such good care of Ryumi. How lucky she must feel."

Ryumi can only hum in agreement, feeling drained.

"Better let her rest now. Thank you for visiting." Nanako smiles, gently telling them it's time to go.

"Take care Ryumi-chan." Oishi states, leaving the room first after Nanako.

"Alright, kick some germ butt senpai!" Momo calls, stepping out as well.

Fuji turns to the girl. "Get well soon Ryumi-chan." he offers before also taking his leave, now leaving only Eiji and Ryoma in the room.

"Please get better soon Ryumi-chan. Class is boring if you're not there." Eiji tells her quietly, seeing her nod off. Rising to his feet, he pauses when he feels something holding him back, seeing Ryumi has curled her fist around the bottom of his shirt.

He gently pries himself free before shoving the magazine in Ryoma's hands, pushing the startled boy closer to his sister and forcing his arms up and down a few times. "Keep on fanning o-chibi!" he urges, knowing that it helps cool the girl off.

"I'm fanning, I'm fanning!" Ryoma whines in complaint, watching his senpai dart out of the room. He turns back to look down at his now slumbering sister. "People can't help but care for you, can they?"

After making sure she is resting peacefully, Ryoma joins his cousin downstairs. He absentmindedly pets Karupin who has followed him down, deep in thought.

"What's on your mind Ryoma-kun?" Nanako asks after a moment, sensing his pondering.

"Ah, well… I was wondering… Nanako-san, do you think Ryumi-nee is in love?" he finally asks, surprising her. It's generally known that Ryoma is not very observing when it comes to people's deepest feelings.

"I'm not sure. She doesn't let things like that show easily." Nanako replies. "I can tell though, someone is definitely in love with her!" she continues excitedly, making Ryoma straighten.

"Who?" he wonders defensively making Nanako chuckle. There is the oblivious Ryoma she knows so well.

"Nanako!" he urges when she doesn't answer.

Nanako shakes her head. "If you can't tell, than I'm not sure you deserve to know." she teases, not caving in when he glares at her.

"Don't worry Ryoma-kun. He'll be good for her. A girl can tell." she points out with a wink before wagging her finger at him warningly. "And don't you meddle in her happiness. You can be as bad as uncle sometimes."

Ryoma can only grumble in reply as he ponders over his cousin's words. He'll be keeping a lookout for the signs he obviously missed and his cousin can see as clear as day.


	38. Chapter 38

Ryumi walks down the stairs, letting out a loud yawn, causing her dad to look at her incredulously.

"You've been sleeping for ages. How can you still be tired?" he wonders before popping a sausage in his mouth.

Ryumi shrugs. "I'm a teenager, it comes with the territory. You know, changing bodies and all that." she explains, making him grimace.

"Don't remind me." he grumbles. "You are looking less like your cute self with each passing day." he states, causing his daughter to protest.

Rinko cuts in, "He's only trying to say that you are growing into a beautiful young lady." she says before sighing wistfully. "I can't wait until you have your first date."

Nanjiro scoffs at the idea. "Since when is that something to look forward to? No one is dating my daughter until I say so! Jeesh."

Ryumi sees her mom's eye twitch. "That is not up to you!"

"Of course it is! It's my duty as a father!" he counters.

"Nonsense! She's smart enough to judge for herself." her mom defends.

"Err…. I'll think I'll head out now." Ryumi announces quietly before slipping out and leaving the two bickering adults behind.

She meets Ryoma out front. "What's up with them?" he wonders, hearing his parents from where he stands.

Ryumi shrugs once again. "I think it's a mid-life crisis thing." she utters before thanking her little brother when he hands her a granola bar which she quickly pops into her mouth.

"Ready?" Ryoma asks, making her nod and follow him… towards the bowling alley.

….

Ryumi eyes the clear blue fluid filled pitcher, reminding them all of the consequences of losing of guttering the ball. Eiji tried a little taste and was not happy. Apparently, this concoction of Inui's is incredibly sour. Momo yelled he was going blind after just a second of hovering over the pitcher.

The Ichinen trio, who were so excited to participate before suddenly felt more than a little apprehensive.

Coach Ryuzaki and Oishi who set this game up as a celebratory activity for making it this far in the tennis tournament divide the teams as following; Ryoma and Momoshiro; Eiji and Fuji; Inui and Kaidoh; Kawamura and Horio and last but not least; Kachiro, Katsuo and Ryumi and the only trio.

Oishi tells them he will be playing with his left hand, so they won't have to worry about his wrist. After that, it's time to get started.

"Alright, let's not be outdone!" Ryumi cheers, making the two boys nod excitedly.

Ryumi lets the two boys go the first round and claps as they manage a spare. They are off to a good start already.

Beside them, Kaidoh tries to do some sort of Boomerang snake, but… that doesn't work with bowling. Inui already stands behind him with a shot glass of his Aozu. There is no mercy for his teammate.

They all look in horror as the junior passes out after downing the drink. "We c-can't let our guard down." Ryumi trembles slightly. Kachiro and Katsuo gulp.

"I have never bowled before." Fuji muses.

"Relax, relax! I'll take care of the rest!" Eiji assures him, flexing his arms. He has regularly bowled with his family before and is feeling confident.

Fuji's approach looks great, but at the last second, the ball swerves into the gutter. "So close…" Fuji sighs before taking the Aozu from Inui without a worry. "How does it taste this time Inui?" he wonders. He always liked Inui's weird concoctions.

"I envy Fuji. Inui Juice has no effect on him." Eiji sighs before pausing. Fuji isn't looking all that well suddenly.

Ryumi doesn't believe she has ever seen anyone faint so gracefully, it's like watching Swan lake. That is before he face plants the floor. They are all shocked; If even Fuji is unable to handle this Juice….

"Senpai, we're scared!" the two boys exclaim, hanging onto Ryumi who has grown pale at the sight of Fuji's incapacitated body.

"Don't worry. I'll secure us a place for the next round!" she says determinately. She'll do anything to prevent having to drink that stuff. Inui smirks gleefully in her direction.

The game continues and they are all more determined than ever. This time Ryumi steps up, picking up a light ball before facing their alley.

She decides not to make a show of it, but leave it simple, straight for the mark….

"Strike!" Kachiro and Katsuo cheer.

"Where did she learn that?!" Momo gapes.

Ryoma sighs. "Every free weekend she went bowling in the U.S. We can't loose our focus against her Momo-senpai." he warns.

"We have some tough competition." Ryumi mutters, watching coach Ryuzaki and Oishi go at it like pro's. They even have their own personalizes gloves.

Beside them, Ryoma and Momo aren't doing bad either. Eiji, now on his own is having ups and downs but holding his own, Kawamura and Horio are dangling under him score wise and all down below, Inui. Every time he just manages to knock down one pin.

Ryumi looks the side to Eiji as he pulls off a strike. "Nicely done Eiji!" she cheers, receiving a thumbs up. "But I'm not going to let you outshine me." she adds, taking her turn for round four.

But it seems she got a bit too confident and huffs when she leaves one pin standing. Luckily she manages to make it a spare.

"Oh! This ball has no holes!" coach Ryuzaki suddenly exclaims, making Eiji look over to see her rubbing Oishi's head. Caught off guard, he drops the ball, guttering it.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ryumi exclaims at the lame joke, looking towards Eiji fearfully as he's handed a glass of Aozu.

"Did we do something wrong?" Ryuzaki muses innocently as Eiji now lies passed out.

"Crush them as they come!" Oishi states, leaving the remaining contestants shivering.

Soon after, Kawamura is out when he dropped his racket that Horio gave him to give them an edge.

Inui has managed for so long and knows if he curves his ball a little to the right, the angle needed for a strike, he will gutter it instead. He decides to go for it, knowing he will only have to drink a bit of Aozu instead of what's left of the pitcher.

That is when Kaidoh wakes up to put a stop to it, but when he grabs Inui around the ankle, Inui stumbles back into Ryuzaki, making them both drop the ball into the gutter. Soon they are both down.

Next one out is Horio and with Inui out, Ryoma gladly takes the opportunity to poor him a glass.

Surprisingly, Oishi is next to drop out, but only because he slipped on spilled Aozu. Nevertheless, his opponents show no mercy.

Ryumi looks over to Ryoma and Momo with narrowed eyes. "Now it's just us. Kachiro, Katsuo… Let's take them down!"

"Yes senpai!" they tremble, seeing the other two boys glare menacingly towards them.

After their last round, Momo looks towards their score confidently. "They have to get a strike to make a comeback."

"We got it." Ryoma smirks, knowing his sister just had her turn.

Ryumi looks on worriedly as Kachiro picks up the ball nervously. "That pitcher of A-aozu…. I don't want to drink it!" he cries, swinging the ball like a madman and knocking over every pin.

"No way! My first strike!" he exclaims in realization.

Katsuo copies the move, scared beyond believe at the thought of drinking Aozu. Immediately the two freshmen are pulled into a group hug by Ryumi.

"I'm so proud!" she coos, making them both blush. She then turns towards her little brother and kouhai menacingly. "It's all yours boys!" she grins, pointing towards the pitcher.

Ryumi chuckles evilly as the others force the juice down their throat, before Inui interrupts her. "I forgot to mention… the reward for the winners; Inui specially-made Nutritional Strengthening juice: Akazu." he introduces a new pitcher of a red bubbling liquid.

"Can we decline?" she gulps. "I was just sick." she meeps pathetically.

"Then this will fix you right up." he laughs evilly.

"Waaaah!"


	39. Chapter 39

"This is a cruel joke." Eiji complains, sitting down on the sand, hugging his tennis bag to him. "We came all the way to Chiba's beach for this extended training."

"We can't do anything about it if we can't find the all important hotel coupon." Kawamura explains, but looks also bummed out. He got the ticket from his family so they could practice by the beach and have some time to relax as well. Sadly, that ticket has been misplaced.

Ryumi looks around at the Seigaku tennis players, the freshmen girls and the trio that also were invited before turning her stare back to the ocean. Can't they go for a swim either way? She just bought a new bikini.

"I understand your situation." a voice speaks up making them turn towards an awfully familiar face.

Ryumi freezes. "What the heck is he doing here?" she asks Ryoma who looks just as startled to see their dad here of all places.

"What's with his face?" Ryoma wonders, seeing that his face ha been hidden under a wrap of bandages, safe for his eyes that are covered with sunglasses. Does he really think they won't recognize him?

"A mummy?" Sakuno asks scared.

"Who are you calling a mummy?" he counters.

"You are…?" Oishi starts.

Nanjiro points towards one of the stores lining the beach, called 'House of the Sea'. "I'm the manager of that store. We can haggle, but if you help me out with my store, I can cover for your hotel fee." he explains. "We're very short on help. I'll do it if you help me out. So please."

They look at each other before hesitantly agreeing. "Really! You'll help out! young kids who are like you are active are so rare." Nanjiro praises, pulling the guys into an awkward hug.

"He just wants to lazy around doesn't he?" Ryumi sighs, making her brother sigh.

….

"Does it kill you to wear an apron?" Ryumi complains to her brother as he just stands around while they serve crushed ice and other beverages.

"Possibly." he mutters, eying the bright pink cloth, making Ryumi sigh. Even his senpai are wearing them.

"Here you go Ryumi-chan." Oishi states, putting down three melon flavored ones on her tray. "For those guys over there." he motions.

"Alright." she sighs, sauntering over. "Here's your ice. Enjoy." she says without much enthusiasm. All she wants is to go for a swim.

"Ah~? Why are you looking so sour sweetheart? When do you get off? We can do something fun together." a tall brown-haired boy tries, flashing a bright smile.

"No thanks." Ryumi sighs, going to turn around until a hand clasps down on her wrist.

"Chill out. Here, have a little ice." he offers.

Ryumi stands stock still for a moment before turning to the high schooler with a smile. "Say, I find it much more fun to feed than to be fed." she says, taking the spoon from him.

The guy grins happily. "Alright."

Ryumi picks up a large scoop. "Say 'Ah'!" she yells, stuffing the spoon to far up his mouth that it nearly comes back out of his nose. "Better eat up before it melts!" she continues yelling, making his two friends look on disturbed as the boy struggles to get out of her grip.

Ryumi returns to the counter with a sigh. "Any more?" she wonders boredly.

"N-not right now." Oishi stutters, having witnessed the interaction and is left very disturbed. Everyone is looking at her like she's mad, all except for Eiji who is humming happily as he washes the dishes.

"What?" she wonders innocently.

Ryoma can't help but imagine how happy their dad would have been had he not ditched them.

….

"So…?" Ryumi breathes watching the disaster around them.

Kaidoh and Momo got into another fight. Kawamura tried to stop them, unable to until Eiji threw him his racket and then he basically destroyed the place and chased away all the customers.

One would think that is the end of it, but if you think that, you don't know Nanjiro Echizen.

He is quick to pull up a volleyball contest to attract public. If anyone wins from Ryoma and Kaidoh, they can eat for free and perhaps even win a vacation to Hawaii.

Ryumi wonders who will be covering those expenses. Is her old man even thinking this trough?

Soon they are serving drinks to the onlookers and the freshmen are sent off to gather new supplies.

At one point it seems Ryoma and Kaidoh are playing well-known players of the beach and old tennis rivals of Ryoma, but Ryumi can hardly pay attention seeing how busy she is being. This is not how she wanted to spend a day at the beach.

Of course Ryoma and Kaidoh won but by then the day was almost over. Seeing as not enough money was made to pay for a hotel, the teens were all forced to return home.

"Curses. My new bikini will be stuffed to the back of the closet with summer ending soon." Ryumi complains. "Perhaps I should rob my bank account and fly towards Hawaii." she muses, putting her finger to her chin.

"If only kids our age had that kind of money." Momo laughs before pausing at the pointed look Ryumi gives him. "Oi, can you take me with you senpai-chan?" he then grovels; knowing she indeed has some money pocketed somewhere.

"I'm not _that_ wealthy." she points out, making Momo pout. "What I can do is threat you guys to ice cream."

"I'm okay with that." Momo consents, making the others nod.

"Shaved ice?" she suggests, pointing towards a shop further ahead, making everyone pause.

"No thank you." "I've seen enough shaved ice to last me a lifetime." "Err…"

Ryumi shrugs. "Alright, more for me then!"


	40. Chapter 40

"Those guys from Rokkaku are something else…" Ryumi sighs to herself, watching Taka-san and Momo battle it out against Amane, also called David and Kurobane, also dubbed as Bane-chan by the kids that came to cheer their favorite club on.

Here they are in the semi-finals and each and everyone player from Rokakku play with a wooden racket, all made by that old man that is their coach. And to top it off, their captain is a first year.

She chuckles inwardly at the memory of Kentarou practically fangirling over her little brother the day before when they ran into the team by chance. He is a very excited boy.

She holds up her phone snapping a picture. She will send that one to Tezuka, along with a report of their progress after this match. He send her an e-mail earlier, asking her to keep him up to speed. She supposes, no matter the time in Germany right now, Tezuka is wide-awake.

A little while later she is happy to text him about their victory. It was a narrow escape, but a victory non-the-less. Again the both of them have grown since the last match.

Putting her phone away, she scoots to the edge of her seat now that Eiji and Fuji will go on doubles 1. This is going to be really interesting.

Just two more days and she will be standing in the same spot that Fuji is now, next to Eiji, trying to get into the intersexual championship. She asked Eiji if it would be all right so soon after this match, but he is confident that it will be okay.

She feels excited just thinking about it. No more playing around. Her first serious match after her accident is approaching!

Pulling her attention back to the match, she watches Saeki and Itsuki approach the field. Saeki is the vice-captain of Rokkaku and an old friend of Fuji. He looks kind enough, but he doesn't look like he plans to go easy on Fuji, but then again, Fuji never went easy on anyone before, only perhaps to spite them.

The match starts and to anyone from the outside, it looks pretty horrible. Fuji and Eiji are each doing their own thing, not acting like a pair at all, but… "That's how they play doubles. To make the most of each other's abilities, they focus on their own play instead of the combination. They know each other's capabilities so well, and trust each other completely, that's why they can play like that." Oishi explains.

The match is going great with three games to nothing until Saeki seems to catch onto Eiji's movements and managing to direct the ball in the opposite way Eiji was intending to go. Eiji grows visibly irritated.

He is disappointed when Fuji cuts into his play to save them from losing another point. But when Saeki continues to play around with him a new sort of determination grows in Eiji's eyes.

As he tries to break through Saeki's play, Fuji is there to cover him as long as he needs it. It does mean they can no longer just play their own style. They need to start working together.

Finally Eiji manages to catch up to Saeki's shots, moving faster than he ever has and zigzagging across the court. He decides in advanced which way he will go and so where Saeki will aim. And when a ball does get passed him, Fuji counters.

Ryumi look at him worriedly as they take five. If he's running twice the distance with every shot, he'll tire out pretty quickly. He is already breathing hard as it is.

"Take a break Eiji, I'll take care of the rest." Fuji tells him, putting his game face on.

Rokkaku catches up a little when Eiji botches up his service game and as he's being targeted, they loose even more points. He's just too tired at the moment. Fuji will have to step it up.

He takes over the game, also taking the shots aimed at Eiji. It's basically like a two against one game from there on and he prepares to use his counters to turn it back around.

Itsuki however seems to have prepared himself for this and breaks trough Fuji's Tsubame Gaeshi. He completely halts the ball's topspin.

Fuji however isn't called a tensai for no reason. He slices the ball, giving it the spin it needs. Itsuki manages to return it, but it ends up smashing into the net.

As Itsuki manages to pass the next one over, Fuji creates even more spin, but as long as the ball isn't perfectly rolling on the ground like Fuji's move normally does, Itsuki seems to be able to get it.

Ryumi glances towards Eiji who is standing there, recharging. She hopes he will catch his breath again soon. He has trained especially hard to pump up his stamina.

She smiles when she notices Fuji manipulating Itsuki's shots so it will pass over the net, just skimming on it lightly, creating a tad bit of spin to the ball. It's just what he needs to perfect the Tsubame Gaeshi. From here on, Itsuki won't reach it any longer.

Saeki catches on finally and tells his partner to switch up his game. Itsuki goes for a lob.

Ryumi looks to Eiji once again. A distinct twitch of the muscle tells her he's ready. She smiles. "Eiji!"

His eyes snap open. He dashes to the back of the court, passed Fuji who could never make the lob from when he stands.

"Kikumaru smash!" he calls, jumping and twisting in the air.

"Game and match to Seigaku, 6 to 2!" the umpire calls.

"Just in the nick of time." Ryumi sighs, whipping out her phone again to take a picture of the winning pair. All is good so far.

Like Ryoma asked, he got set up for singles three, against Kentarou. Though it may not seem like it, Ryoma's set on defeating him after the practice match they had yesterday. Kentarou, like Ryoma has a lot of skill and talent.

It shows in the match when they go head to head, playing on equal grounds. Points are slowly made, but each time they manage to catch up to the other. The sun is slowly setting on this match. Will they even finish before darkness falls completely?

Everyone looks bummed out when the umpire calls it a day when the game score reaches 4 to 4. They'll have to finish tomorrow.

….

"Is Ryoma already gone?" Ryumi asks her dad the next morning, not seeing Ryoma anywhere.

"Mh. The boy was impatient. He's been out for hours already." he reveals.

"Is that right? Kentarou must've gotten into his head huh?" she muses before bending down and petting Karupin who is begging for attention. "Let's make him something nice for breakfast then, for when his nerves calmed down, right Karupin?" The Himalayan cat meows loudly in reply, following her to the kitchen.

"Speaking of nerves…" her dad starts.

"None whatsoever!" his daughter calls from the kitchen, making him raise a curious brow. "I'm just excited. With Eiji… it'll be alright." she mutters.

"Ah? Is that so?" Nanjiro hums. "Don't get distracted because your sweetheart is in the field. I did once, ended up with a headache. Couldn't help myself, your mom had a nice-… Ahh!"

He jumps aside when a zucchini comes hurdling his way. "Shut up old man! I don't want to hear your perverted thoughts!"


	41. Chapter 41

"Eiji…"

"Ryumi…."

"Fuji." Fuji adds, making the pair look at him with raised brows. "What?" the boy asks innocently.

Ryumi huffs out a breath of air. "I'm shaking. There are months of play wanting to come out at once. I feel like I'm going to burst." she says, looking at her trembling hands.

Eiji drops his hands into hers, gripping them. "That's good nya! Let's burst together. I'm so excited!" Eiji grins, jumping from one foot to the other.

Ryumi smiles up at him. He's in an especially good mood today. It helps that Seigaku made it past the semi-finals of the Kanto regional tournament the day before.

Fuji chuckles. "It'll be fine. You two are ready. Saa, I'm feeling a bit proud actually." he tells them, looking away.

"You're not going to get all emotional on us are you?" Ryumi asks carefully.

"Hey, hey! After we nail this, why not go do something together, just us, the three musketeers!" Eiji offers.

"Sure." Fuji agrees, "But first things first Eiji." he reminds his friend.

"Right. Let's get to the court." Ryumi motions before they make their way over. "Ah, they're all here!" she exclaims surprised when they get there. The whole team is there, including Eiji's sister.

"Hi Ryumi-chan!" Hanako waves, a gesture she happily returns.

"Senpai!" two voices call from next to the regulars and Eiji and Ryumi look to see Tomoko and Sakuno holding up a banner. They drew chibi's of the pair.

Ryumi scratches her neck nervously at all the attention. She's not used to this anymore. "We'll do our best." she nods as they are called to step into the court. Fuji joins them, seeing as he acts as their coach.

They look over to the other side of the court and are surprised to see a familiar face. "Otori-kun?"

"Oh! Ryumi-san, Kikumaru-san!" he exclaims surprised. "I heard you were competing, but I didn't expect to see you in the qualifications. This will be tough nee-san." he smiles, turning to the shorter girl next to him. Her eyes match his, but her hair is darker.

"Eh? How cool is that Cho-kun!" she gasps. "I'm Miya, I play with my little brother for fun sometimes. Please be gentle!" she introduces.

"You're sure to be tough if you can keep up with your brother Miya-san. Let's do our best." Ryumi tells her, receiving a thumbs up.

"Up for qualification, Echizen and Kikumaru pair versus Otori pair. One set match. Otori to serve." the umpire calls after they've gotten into position.

Eiji looks back at Ryumi over his shoulder, nodding. Ryumi smiles with determination, returning the nod. "Let's do this Eiji."

Choutarou gets ready to serve, making Ryoma hold his breath. Can his sister take on his Scud serve?

"I'm going all out, for my big sis!" Choutarou calls, indeed serving his Scud serve.

"I've got it!" Ryumi calls, bracing herself. But she isn't quite prepared for the force behind it. Her racket goes flying. "15 – love."

She quickly retrieves her racket, flexing her wrist. So that is how it feels… "Sorry Eiji. I'll get it next time." Ryumi apologizes.

"Yosh! Keep a tight grip Ryumi-chan!"

"Hai!"

"Here it comes." Choutarou warns, tossing the ball up high. It soon comes hurtling Ryumi's way, whose eyes flash as she locks on.

With both hand she takes a backhand swing. The racket shakes before steadying and she forces the ball back into the other court. She hears a few murmurs on the side.

Miya is there to catch it, going for a smash, but Eiji is ready. "Hoi hoi!" he calls, smashing the ball back in-between their opponents. "15 – all."

…

"1 game to love!"

Ryumi sighs. Choutarou kept his service game, but just barely. Now it's her turn to serve and she's not afraid to dish out.

"Let's take all of this game Eiji." she tells het partner, who nods, knowing what she'll do.

Ryumi serves, making it look simple enough, but… "Here is comes." Oishi breathes.

A rally starts alternating between her and the siblings. "Cho-kun, I can't steer it into another direction!" Miya gasps in realization.

"Tezuka-zone?" her brother muses before returning the ball. It too doesn't go where he wants it, but it doesn't return to Ryumi either.

"Incoming!" Eiji calls, ready for the ball, once again smashing it into the opposite court.

Choutarou gapes at the spot the ball smashed into for a moment before smiling again. "Not quite the same, but very effective. These two are well put together."

Ryumi continues this for the entirety of her service game, keeping ball control until an opening reveals itself for Eiji, making sure her gets it. There are no points for the Otori's in this round.

…

"I'm taking this!" Miya calls, lobbing the ball before watching in surprise as suddenly Ryumi dashes forward. She's been on the back the whole game. What is she doing?

Eiji quickly turns, crouching and putting his hands together. "Up you go!" he grins, giving Ryumi a boost.

The Seigaku regulars gasp as she is lifted up high, her racket reflecting the sunlight. "Flare smash!" Ryoma gasps in recognition.

"Aaah!" Ryumi shouts as she puts all her power behind the smash. It rams into the opposite court before shooting off like lightning past Choutarou and lodging itself into the fence behind him.

"Nee-san!" Ryoma calls worriedly as his sister drops back to the ground. She is leaning too far back.

Fuji smiles. "Eiji's got this."

Eiji braces himself, opening his arms. "Oof!" Ryumi huffs as she lands perfectly in them.

Tomoko, Sakuno and Hanako squeal, hearts in their eyes. In their mind they can picture Eiji in a princely costume, striking a pose while cradling a princes Ryumi.

"Gotcha!" Eiji breathes in relief before grinning widely. Ryumi laughs, happy that it worked out so well.

"6 games to 4! Echizen, Kikumaru pair wins!" the umpire calls.

"Eiji, we did it!" Ryumi laughs.

"Hoi hoi! We did!" he laughs with her, twirling around before losing his footing, making them crash to the ground. They look a bit dazed before they continue laughing, not even noticing the cheers.

"Jeesh, they're all for theatrics." Momo scoffs before grinning.

"Sorry nee-san. Looks like we got bested at this." Choutarou states, not losing his smile.

"Too bad, but I had fun with my otouto." she smiles back. "Looks like they had fun too." she muses, looking back at the pair still on the ground.

"Celebration at my place!" Kawamura calls.

"Yay!"


	42. Chapter 42

"Mmmh. This one." Ryumi muse, taking a sushi between her chopsticks. She takes a deep breath before stuffing it in her mouth.

She grins with a full mouth at the expectant looking crowd. "No wasabi. Your turn Inui." Eiji urges, sliding the tray to his teammate.

"The probability of one being a wasabi sushi is now thirty-three percent. A significant chance…." he mutters to himself, looking down at the tray in thought. "I'm going for this one." he decides.

The others laugh as they soon see him choking down one of the hottest sushi Kawamura ever created.

"Another Taka-san! We're going for round three!" Ryumi calls, having swallowed the sushi.

Kawamura smiles. "Alright. Another batch coming up!"

Eiji sighs happily as he leans his cheek on the table. Today worked out better than anyone would have thought before. He and Ryumi make a good team.

He looks over at the girl who is talking animatedly with Fuji, the smile never leaving his face. "Ne, Eiji. You're staring." his sister says, poking at him.

Eiji quickly looks away, blushing. "Was not." he whispers with a pout. Hanako giggles beside him, making him stick out his tongue at her.

…

"Ah~. I'm stuffed." Ryumi sighs, slinging her tennis bag over her shoulder before turning to Eiji and Fuji. "Ready to go see a movie?" she questions.

"Yes!" Eiji cheers. "The three musketeers go to the movies!"

"Mh? That sound like a comedy title." Fuji muses. "Let's go." he urges before suddenly doubling over. "Ouch!"

"You okay Fujiko?" Eiji asks worriedly.

"Stomach ache. I think I ate too much. I better get home quick." Fuji tells them.

"Want us to take you? We can see a movie another time." Ryumi offers, but Fuji quickly shakes his head.

"I'll be fine, you two go ahead." he urges.

"But…"

"Bye!"

The two gape after their friend. "He's quick." Ryumi breathes. "He must have it really badly."

"Sure…" Eiji drawls, silently cursing his friend in his mind. He's sure Fuji did this on purpose to leave hm on his own with Ryumi. He glances towards her, suddenly feeling nervous. "Do you… still want to go?" he asks carefully.

Ryumi nods. "Yeah. Why not? It's easier picking a movie with just the two of us." she smiles.

"O-okay. Let's go." Eiji laughs forcefully. Inside he's screaming. Why is he acting like such an idiot? This isn't a date!

He stiffly moves along, before freezing when an arm wraps around his. He looks down to see Ryumi smiling up at him. "Relax Eiji." she tells him gently, causing his stiff muscles to turn to mulch.

He laughs embarrassedly. "Sorry Ryumi-chan. It must be the adrenaline of the match wearing off. I'm just a bit tired." he quickly excuses.

"Oh? Would you rather go home instead?" she wonders.

Eiji quickly shakes his head. "No, no! I'd love to do something fun with you!" he exclaims before blushing, seeing her cheeks dust pink too. "I mean…"

"It's okay Eiji. Let's just take it easy." Ryumi states calmly, making him wonder what she actually means. Suddenly she grins. "I know! Follow me." she urges, taking the lead.

Eiji blinks in surprise before following. When Ryumi stops, a smile eases back on his face. "Awesome! Cat-café!"

Getting inside, they order a drink. Soon Eiji can't resist the temptation to crouch down to check out all the cats.

Ryumi smiles as she watches him pet and play with the different cats as they start to crowd around him. She quietly sips at her drink, feeling content. She's glad Eiji is feeling more relaxed.

"Ah! My shoe laces!" Eiji gasps, seeing a young cat tug on them. "Noooo!"

Ryumi can't help but laugh. Eiji's tennis shoes are like relics to him. You just don't scratch them. She quickly rushes over to safe him, distracting the cat with a toy.

"Ryumi-chan~." Eiji beckons, making her look up to see him taking a picture with his phone. She quickly flashes a smile.

"Let's take one together Eiji. We need to remember today." Ryumi suggests, making Eiji nod and scoot closer. They fumble to fit in the screen together and Eiji is ready to take the shot when one of the cats jumps on his shoulder.

Ryumi chuckles as she takes his phone, looking at the picture to see Eiji's startled face next to her smiling one. She quickly sends it to her own phone while Eiji is still struggling to get the cat off of him.

Clicking away the camera, Ryumi blinks down at the screen's backdrop. It's a picture of them both, taken by Fuji during a break of their practice together if she remembers right. It's a nice picture.

She can't help but blush. Eiji could have put up anything, but he chose a picture of them together.

"Oi oi little neko-chan~. You're a handful." Eiji muses, putting the cat down finally. Ryumi quickly shuts down his phone, returning it to him and pretending not to have seen.

…

"Mmmmh. Oh, that's a hard choice." Ryumi muses as they walk the city streets together. The sun is already setting. "Sundae's or chibisuke… They say a day without a Sundae is a day not living." she nods.

"Eh? I'm sure you just made that up." Eiji laughs.

Ryumi joins him. "It's a motto I live by. My aniki already came to terms that he comes in second place. Ryoma is still struggling though." she explains. "What about you?"

"Ah, well. I think I love my family a bit more than food, but it's a close call." Eiji nods seriously. "But I'd swap Hanako for my favorite toothpaste anytime!"

Ryumi snorts as she laughs. "Toothpaste? Really? Well, that explains why you've got such nice teeth." Eiji grins exaggeratingly at that, showing off his pearly whites.

They stop walking when they reach Ryumi's home. "Eiji, thank you for joining me in doubles. I know it takes a lot out of your time, but thanks to you I can pick up playing seriously again. I'm really grateful." Ryumi states seriously.

Eiji blushes embarrassedly. "I-it's really no problem. I enjoy playing with you. I-I suppose when there's tennis involved or you, I don't mind how I spend my time." he confesses as he tries hard not to look away, making her smile shyly.

"Well…" she drawls, shuffling her feet.

"Ah, so…." he too drawls.

"Oi." a low voice states suddenly making them shriek in fright, jumping into each other's arms.

"Do you kids have any idea what time it is?" the voice asks, making them look up to see a face peeking over the wall surrounding Ryumi's house.

"Old man! Don't be a creep!" Ryumi scolds, kicking at the wall. Startled, her dad tumbles off of the crate he was standing on. They hear him yell profanities from the other side.

"That's your dad?!" Eiji balks; recognizing him from several times he's seen him, including the beach. He never guessed it was Ryumi's and Ryoma's dad. He feels so self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Yeah, sadly." Ryumi sighs, hearing a sound of protest come from her old man. "Sorry about that. I guess I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. Of course!"

"Goodnight Eiji." she bids him goodbye with a quick hug, leaving his face red.

"Goodnight." he bids as well, watching her step inside the garden before some more yelling ensues. He smiles before turning around and making his way to the bus stop with a whistle. Today has been a good day for him.


	43. Chapter 43

Ryumi sighs, falling into her sheets after putting on some dry clothes. She just rushed to the temple after classes to make sure her rabbits were all right in this weather before hurrying home. The pelting rain doused her to the bone.

She listens as the wind pulls at the shutters, making them rattle. This is a serious typhoon…

Her phone buzzes, making her pick up her phone from her nightstand. "I'm not surprised…" she breathes, seeing the text placed in the group chat by Oishi, who made Kaidoh and Momo join the chat as well. 'Finals moved to next week because of heavy rain.'

She chuckles at the reactions that follow. The guys are really bummed out and Eiji suggests they sacrifice some of Kawamura's sushi to the gods for good will.

Her smile falls when she realizes that their first doubles match once again will follow up closely after the matches with the change of schedule. Eiji will have it rough for sure. Maybe she can step up her game?

She's snaps out of her thoughts when a weight lands her. "Oi Karupin! You've gotten heavier." she complains, sitting up to put the cat in her lap instead of her stomach.

Smiling she cuddled the fluffy cat. "So soft~." she coos, receiving an annoyed meow in return before he quickly scrambles away. "Hey! You want my affection or not?!" she calls after him. Cats are so fickle.

"Ryumi?" a voice calls from the doorway questioningly as Nanako appears.

"Oh, Nanako. Did I disturb your studying with my yelling? Sorry about that." Ryumi quickly apologizes.

Nanako smiles calmly. "Not really, I was just taking a break." she reassures her cousin.

"What?" Ryumi asks with trepidation, seeing the look forming on Nanako's face. It's borderline scary with how gleeful she looks.

Nanako darts closer, jumping on the bed next to Ryumi. "I just want to talk." she answers innocently, making Ryumi quirk a brow. "So... How is Kikumaru-kun?" she asks, taking Ryumi aback.

"Eiji? Fine I think. Why are you asking about him?" she blinks confusedly.

"Silly girl." Nanako scolds lightly. "Because you like him of course." she says pointedly, making Ryumi balk. That's the first time someone just threw it out there.

Ryumi feels herself run red. "N-Nanako!" she hisses in embarrassment.

Nanako chuckles in amusement. "You don't have to be shy. But I do wonder, what's keeping you from telling him? I can tell you've liked him for a while now. And I'm sure he likes you back."

Ryumi picks at her fingers nervously. "I… Yes, I've liked him for a while now." she admits quietly. "Eiji's really kind, caring and funny. But, I guess I'm just a little…shy." she explains.

"And a little afraid too." she adds. "I'm not a hundred percent sure if he likes me in that way or as just a friend. And if I say something, he might not want to be my friend anymore. I don't know what I would do without Eiji as my friend. He's been my backbone, my shoulder to cry on. He helped me so much in getting over my emotional scars." Ryumi sighs.

Nanako smiles sympathetically. "Well, I don't think you have to worry, but that's just me talking. It's the first time you've truly fallen in love right? So that can be a little scary." she says, her voice filled with understanding. "It's alright to take it easy and wait for him to prove to you that he really likes you if you feel uncertain."

Ryumi smiles slightly at Nanako's words. "Do you think he will?" she wonders. Or will she be waiting for naught.

Nanako nods resolutely. "For sure. Maybe he's a little shy and afraid too, but I can tell he's not going to let you walk away. He's a really passionate boy from what I've seen." she reassures Ryumi.

Ryumi smiles brighter before flinging her arms around her cousin. "Thanks Nanako. Just… don't tell anyone." she pleads.

Nanako laughs, returning the hug. "Girl's honor." she vows, before pulling away. "Let's watch a movie. I need to empty my head a little after all that reading I've done." she suggests.

"Sure." Ryumi nods. "What do you have in mind?"

Nanako gets another creepy look on her face. "Something scary~." she says before smiling again. "Let's ask Ryoma too."

Ryumi nods. "Okay, I'll go get him. You get the snacks ready?"

…

"Ahhhhh!" the woman on the screen yells in fright. The only other sounds beside the weather rampaging outside is the scrunching of food as the whole family has gathered in front of the TV.

Nanjiro chuckles suddenly. "Ne, kiddo. Are you shaking?" he asks teasingly, poking Ryoma with his foot who swats it away angrily.

"I'm not scared!" Ryoma huffs before ignoring his dad. His eyes are wide as he stares at the TV.

He jumps when the phone starts ringing, scowling as his dad chuckles behind him. "I'll get it." Ryumi calls, jumping up and rushing to answer it.

"Hello, Echizen residence." she says after picking up.

"Ah, Echizen-san." a voice sounds from the other side. It's the familiar voice of Ryuzaki sensei.

"Ryuzaki-sensei? What can I do for you, should I get Ryoma?" Ryumi asks.

She is answered by a chuckle. "No need. You're just the person I wanted to talk to. I'm going to need your help with something." she explains, making Ryumi grow curious. She nods and hums as she listens to Ryuzaki's idea.

"Can I count on you?" Ryuzaki asks finally.

Ryumi nods before remembering Ryuzaki can't see. "Yeah, of course. Sounds good to me."

"Alright. Then I'll see you tomorrow for the preparations. Oh, and just so you know, you will be participating too. No need to slack off." Ryuzaki tells the girl before hanging up.

* * *

 **Sorry it took me a while to post this chapter. I ran out of reserves and after my grandmother's passing, catching the flu and all that, I haven't gotten around to writing much.**

 **I hope to find a moment on where I can write a couple of chapters in one go again. Right now, this is all I've managed sadly. But at least it's something right?**


	44. Chapter 44

Ryumi stares at Ryoma for a moment, watching him pack. Yesterday Ryuzaki and Oishi revealed their plan of going on a training camp to prepare against Rikkaidai's onslaught.

Observing her little brother, she thinks he looks awfully serious. But that's to be expected. He and Rikkaidai's Sanada had a match the day before and Ryoma found himself outclassed. It really hurt his ego.

"Are you almost ready?" Ryumi finally asks, making him glance over before zipping up his bag. He nods silently, picking up his back and brushing past her to go downstairs. Ryumi sighs before following, dragging her own bag with her.

….

Before they know it, they are in Ryuzaki-sensei's rented bus headed towards Karuizawa, a nice place in the mountains. Excitement is in the air.

"I think we went skiing there once." Fuji mutters in thought.

Kaidoh is staring intently at the brochure, humming appreciatively every now and then before looking up, "What are you doing Kikumaru-senpai?" he questions.

Eiji looks like a deer caught in headlights, hiding the contents with his bag with his arms, but anyone can see all the snacks bulging out of it. "Well, I uh, I'm just deciding what to eat first."

"It's not a field trip. Geez." Kaidoh scolds the upperclassman pointedly before returning to his reading.

Ryumi chuckles at this before kicking the back of Eiji's chair. "Sharing is caring Eiji~." she sings, before laughing when a couple of colorful pixie sticks are tossed her way. "Woohoo! Hello~ sugar rush."

"Be careful Ryumi-chan. You'll get a stomach ache if you eat all that." Oishi warns from his seat next to Ryuzaki-sensei.

"What?" she asks, pouring the contents of the first stick into her mouth.

"Er…. never mind." Oishi sighs dejectedly.

"Put that stuff away. We're almost there." Ryuzaki scolds, making Ryumi scowl before Eiji and Ryoma who's sitting next to him try to reorganize his chaotic bag so it can close again.

When they finally come to a half after a three and a half hour ride, they are… well… disappointed? This is not quite what the brochures led them to believe. The lodge is pretty run down.

"This can't be called a lodge, it just can't…" Momo muses.

Ryuzaki-sensei crosses her arms in annoyance. "Stop being spoiled." she scolds, not happy with the reactions after the trouble she went through to fix this up.

"That's right! We didn't come to play!" Oishi reminds them.

Fuji however cuts in, "This seems more like a place where ghost wander around." The comment makes Kaidoh stiffen, chills already running down his back.

"No way!" Momo laughs. "But in case that they do…" he starts, turning to the door, "Mr. Ghost! Hello!" he calls, before jumping back when the door squeaks open, seemingly by itself. But it's only Tomoko.

Sakuno joins her at the door, greeting everyone and Oishi explains that they are to be the temporary managers. They were send ahead to make the place ready for their stay. The Ichinen-trio is also somewhere, fixing up the tennis court.

Sakuno shows the guys to their shared room before showing Ryumi where the girls are bunking. They change into their gear as per Ryuzaki's request as she wants them training immediately.

Ryumi feels a bit out of place standing next to the boys, ready to be drilled. And is surprised when they are asked to leave their racquets in a box to be put away. They comply reluctantly before Ryuzaki sends them out running.

After two hours of non-stop exercise, they are happy to take a break by the nearby lake.

"I'm not used to this anymore." Ryumi groans, feeling her muscles complain already. She has been lagging behind. Looks like swimming isn't enough to pump herself up to her old standard.

"All the more reason to work hard. Up you go! Time to get moving!" Ryuzaki calls from her bicycle.

Biting back a moan, they all comply and run all the way back towards the lodge.

…

After a long day of training and the light fading behind the mountains, Ryuzaki finally lets them off to clean up and get ready for the delicious dinner made by Katsuo. And after that, the boys sit through a lecture by Inui. Ryumi however…

"You can go to bed already you know?" Ryuzaki-sensei's voice speaks up through the nightly sounds outside the lodge.

Ryumi tears her gaze away from the forest. "Ah, sensei. My mind is still racing. I thought I'd get some fresh air first." she excuses.

"Mh? I that so?" Ryuzaki muses. "You did well today. I would say that there isn't any pain anymore, is there?" she guesses.

Ryumi smiles faintly. "I guess I haven't been bothered for a while now. It's just difficult to let go of the fear I guess. Is that silly?" she wonders quietly.

Ryuzaki shakes her head with a smile. "Not at all. Your knee may remain a weak spot, so you need to stay vigilant. However, don't let it consume you. Once you really get to know your limit, it's okay to let go of your fears. That's why you're here." she reveals.

"So that's my training huh? Getting to know my limit?" Ryumi muses before nodding to herself. "Alright. I'll look hard for it."

"That's the spirit!" Ryuzaki laughs. "Now get inside before the mosquito's eat you alive." she urges, swatting her hand at one that dared to go near her.

* * *

 **Sorry about it being so short. I'm not really back up to steam just yet. It's not a writersblock, but a lack of concentration. I'm not sure which is worse though.**


	45. Chapter 45

Ryumi smiles as she watches the first rays of light peek over the horizon, stretching her muscles as she does.

"Ryumi~! What are you doing?!" a voice calls from above, making her turn around to see Eiji hanging out of the window.

"I want to go to a place we passed yesterday! I thought I'd go before breakfast!" she explains before a thought comes to her. "Want to come?!"

He immediately nods, a sense of excitement in his eyes. "Wait up!" he calls before disappearing back in the room. Within seconds he comes rushing out the door. "Let's go!" he cheers, making Ryumi chuckle.

"This way." she motions. "It's not far."

After a couple of minutes, Ryumi turns to Eiji with slight embarrassment. "Ah, I hope you don't think it's silly, but this place spoke to the girly side in me." she tells him, scratching her neck.

Eiji chuckles at that. "No matter, I'm curious." he assures her.

She pauses, nodding towards the clearing ahead. "This is it. I just thought it's very pretty." she sighs, looking at the dewy grasses and flowers sparkling in the morning light.

Eiji takes a deep breath. "Hmmm, it smells nice here." he sighs in appreciation. Ryumi smiles in relief that he's not making fun of her.

Her smile turns to a laugh when he does a handstand before letting himself fall into the bed of flowers with a smile on his face. "Ne, Eiji…" she crouches down, poking him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me?" she asks, making him tilt his head curiously. "Teach you?"

Ryumi nods, "Yeah, a handstand. I want to learn." she clarifies.

Eiji beams up at her before jumping up in one go. "Of course!"

He quickly pulls her up before stepping a little away from her. "You need to swing your legs up, stretching yourself out as you put your hands on the ground. Don't worry about falling. I'll catch your ankles, okay?" he offers with a nod.

"Ah, I'll give it a shot." Ryumi states, putting on a look of concentration.

She gives it a try, but laughs awkwardly as her legs don't seem to listen to her. "He he, sorry. I got a bit insecure." she confesses.

Eiji smiles patiently. "Don't worry. I've got you."

"Okay…" she breathes, preparing herself. She has to trust in Eiji…

"Look at you! You're doing it!" Eiji cheers. "Now keep that balance. I'm slowly going to let you go okay?"

"A-are you sure?" she asks unsurely as he backs away. That is when she starts to sway, her arms losing their strength after yesterday's workout. "Eiji!"

"I'm here!" he rushes, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her waist as she starts to fall.

Ryumi pulls him down with her, leaving them in a tangled mess. At least he softened her fall. "Ah, too bad." he sighs as he rests his head on her stomach. Ryumi can't help but blush at the awkward position.

Pulling himself up, he smiles down at her. "Want to try again?" he offers, holding out his hand.

Ryumi opens her mouth to answer, but in the direction of the lodge when she hears Momoshiro hollering that breakfast is ready.

"I'll take a rain check." she smiles, taking his hand as he pulls her to her feet. Eiji doesn't seem to know his strength, because she crashes into his chest. She grabs onto his shirt to keep form falling backwards after.

"S-sorry." Eiji stammers, making her look up to see the red hue on his face as he looks away shyly.

"I-it's okay Eiji." she offers, stepping back quickly. She didn't really want to. She isn't sure what came over her, but she really had the urge to wrap her arms around him just then and stay there. She wonders if hugging him is warm and comforting.

Eiji shakes it off before turning his back to her, crouching slightly. "Hop on." he offers, making her grin. With a jump she wraps her legs around his waist before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. It's close enough to a hug, she decides. She'll take it for now.

As they come out of the trees, they notice a new car in front of the lodge and beside it stands a familiar looking young woman.

"Shiba-san?" Ryumi questions, sliding off Eiji's back.

She smiles at the two, "Echizen-san, Kikumaru-kun. Were you on a date?" she questions innocently, making them stiffen and run red.

"E-eh?!" Eiji exclaims.

"Before both of them get the chance to deny anything though, coach Ryuzaki steps outside. "Oi! You two, hurry up and have breakfast before there's none left!" she ushers, making them both nod and quickly retreat inside.

"Ah, Echizen-san!" Shiba calls, seeming to remember something just then. Ryumi halts at the door, looking back curiously. "After training today, come see me. There is something I must show you." Shiba says, looking awfully serious for her doing.

"Uh, sure." Ryumi answers uncertainly before going inside where she finds Eiji looking back at her curiously. Ryumi can only shrug. She'll have to wait until later.

…..

After a grueling day of hanging out with the seniors' former captain Yamato, gathering bamboo shoots and Ryoma and Yamato getting lost, although Ryoma denies everything, Ryumi is pretty tired. She almost forgot about this morning's occurrence until she spots Shiba at the dining table, working on her laptop.

"Oh, there you are." Shiba states, motioning her over. "Take a look."

She moves, so Ryumi can sit down before pulling up an e-mail. "We received this e-mail with a request for getting it published. It addressed to you and seeing the contents, Inoue-san asked me to show it to you before we do, to not cause any surprises." Shiba explains, watching intently as Ryumi starts reading.

Her brow furrows after a moment, "Is this really…?" she breathes in disbelief.

After finishing, Ryumi scoots the chair back, moving away in thought. Echizen-san?" Shiba questions worriedly.

"Sorry Shiba-san. I'm going out for some air. Ehm, thank you though, for showing it to me." Ryumi tells her.

"A lot to think about huh?" Shiba guesses, seeing the teen nod in reply.

"Goodnight." Ryumi bids before sauntering off, deep in thought. Indeed there is a lot to think about.


	46. Chapter 46

The sound of crickets is abundant on this summer night. Ryumi sits outside on the gravel covering the floor of the practice court. Today they finally got their rackets back. She could tell she gained strength, as her racket feels lighter than usual.

She hugs it close to herself, deep in thought. That e-mail has been on her mind for the past few days. What is she going to do? It's so hard to make a decision.

The crunching beneath shoes gets her attention and she looks up when a long shadow casts over her caused by someone blocking the lights outside the lodge. Silently, her little brother sits down beside her.

After taking in the atmosphere he finally turns his gaze towards her, "You've been looking really serious for the past two days nee-san." he notes with a hint of worry. "Why is that?" he questions.

Ryumi releases a long breath, staring off into the distance, but manages to find her voice, "It's about June." she starts, making him lean forward in interest.

"Shiba showed me something, a message that June wants posted in the Monthly's Pro Tennis. It's a challenge." she explains as calmly as she can, but inside her there is turmoil.

Ryoma's eyes widen in surprise and Ryumi continues. "She took notice that I started to play again and wishes a rematch, 'When you're ready for it' she wrote." she finishes with a sigh.

"What do you want to do?" Ryoma asks quietly, knowing this weighs heavy on his sister's heart.

Ryumi clutches even tighter onto her racket as if it brings her comfort. "I'm not sure what she'll be like after what happened. How she'll act towards me, but… I want to see her again. And hopefully get my friend back. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I still hope you know? Maybe there is this tiny chance…"

"Hm." Ryoma hums silently. "Then that's what you have to do."

Ryumi smiles warily, "I guess so huh? Then I had better work hard. I don't want to disappoint."

"And starting now is as good as a time as any." Ryoma tells her, whipping his racket out.

Ryumi laughs. "Eager aren't you chibisuke? But okay. I hope you're ready." she smiles down at him as they get to their feet.

He smirks back at her, looking confident. "Always."

…

Full of energy, that is how she feels. How does she still have it after that biathlon of this morning?

"Syusuke you jerk. Are you going easy on me?" Ryumi asks from the other side of the court. They decide to have a little practice round together. Some others had the same idea, while others either rest or do different exercises.

"I assure you I'm not Ryumi-chan. Guess you've just improved more than you expected." Fuji smiles kindly.

Ryumi raises a brow. "Oh? Really?" she muses before taking notice of something peculiar. "Hyotei?"

"Pay attention!" Fuji calls, making her snap her head back to see a ball rushing at her.

"Oi!" she shouts indignantly, not happy that Fuji caught her off guard. Reaction time being shortened, she has few options…. "Pulsar dash!"

Combining a split step with a powerful backhand, she manages to return the ball in the nick of time. Fuji catches the fastball with his racket, but returns it into the net.

He chuckles. "You have a mean backhand Ryumi-chan. You still manage to manipulate returns like that, very well done. Looks like you really took that Tezuka zone and made it your own." he compliments, making the girl smile.

"I'd like to think as the Tezuka zone as a galaxy, gravity attracting everything to it's core with balance to steer all inside on a proper course, but I'm a black hole. I suck it all up and I'll never let you know where it all goes." she chuckles.

"Interesting analogy. Now what were you saying about Hyotei?" Fuji asks, turning around and also seeing the group of boys that have exited the bus. It seems Ryuzaki brought them here.

"This is going to be an interesting afternoon."

…

And it really turned out to be. Both teams have grown a lot and it shows. Ryumi learned that especially her little brother s not even close to reaching his full potential. She wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being the one to surpass their dad first.

"Atobe-san." Ryumi calls as the boys of Hyotei prepare to leave after the invigorating training session.

He looks up surprised, turning his sharp gaze on the girl. He smirks, "Echizen Ryumi, the girl with the sharp tongue." he hums. She hasn't exactly been taking it easy with him from the first moment they met. Even earlier today they found themselves stuck in banter.

Ryumi smiles in amusement. "No sharp words this time around. I want to say thank you." she tells him earnestly.

He perks a brow in interest. "Oh really?"

Ryumi nods. "You're match with Ryoma, you managed to help him improve greatly. But that was you intention wasn't it? To help him reach his potential."

He smiles smugly. "A potential not reached by a long shot, but you're right. They had better win those finals now, or they'll make us look bad."

"They'll be sure to win." Ryumi states, having ever been more certain about it.

Atobe nods. "I'm counting on it. Until next time, Echizen Ryumi." he bids his farewell, stepping onto the bus.

Ryumi smiles, shaking her head. That guy…. All that showmanship and such a tiny heart to go with it. Maybe she should stop calling him the Monkey King, just maybe…

Stepping away and watching the bus roll out, she realizes that this is officially the end of training camp. In just a few days, the guys will be up against their toughest opponents yet. But Rikkai Dai won't have it easy.

And after that… Well, doubles resumes she supposes. And once she grows confident enough, she will face the biggest obstacle yet… her past.

* * *

 **Everyone, thank you for being patient until I resumed writing. I have been working with getting over a depression as some might already know. I'm slowly getting better and I started to enjoy writing again, so that's good. I won't be writing very quickly, since I'll be moving soon and I have to search for a job in that area. So there are lots of things to keep me busy. But whenever I can I will write.**


	47. Chapter 47

**I'll be skipping ahead for a bit. I find it hard to write matches and that has been keeping me from continuing this story. I hope to actually finish this story instead of getting stuck somewhere, because I still have what I find some cute stuff to write on Eiji and Ryumi. So that is the plan. Please enjoy.**

* * *

For someone who just won the Kanto championship, Eiji isn't looking all too happy. The reason is obvious as he rolls up the newest edition of Pro Monthly's Tennis and wringing his hands around it.

Ryumi swallows the lump in her throat, not sure what to say after her explanation of her accepting her childhood friend's challenge. She will be leaving for an uncertain amount of time. After much discussion and thought, she decided she could not wait for long and the date was set.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to finish doubles with you Eiji." she finally decides to apologize seeing how Eiji is subconsciously trying to murder the magazine in his hands. He must be angrier than she expected him to be.

Eiji blinks in surprise, finally turning his head to face her and she can't help but frown at the sight. Is he going to… cry?"

"Eiji?" she breathes.

He releases a breath, blinking a few times to hide his apparent sadness. Throwing the magazine aside he whips up a smile. "It's great! Finally you have the chance to set things straight huh?" he exclaims, but Ryumi isn't buying it.

"Eiji, it's okay to be upset for me leaving the match. I understand." Ryumi tells him quietly, feeling guilt eating her up slowly.

Eiji's smile falls for a much sadder one, one that holds no grudge, but is filled with pain nonetheless.

"It's not the match that I care about. Sure, it would be fun to become champions together, but…." he looks away from her to gaze at the view before them. They gathered on top of the very container where he can be often found sorting his thoughts or hanging out with Oishi.

"Missing you is worse." he finally manages to spit out, red starting to dust his cheeks.

Ryumi matches his sad smile at the admission. "I'll miss you too Eiji." she confesses, following his gaze as they sit in silence for a while.

Finally Ryumi decides to lie on her back, watching the clouds drift passed. It's not long before Eiji joins her in her activity. "That one looks like tennis ball." he points out this nearly round cloud, making Ryumi laugh.

"It could be any ball. You just live and breathe tennis don't you?" she laughs, bumping his shoulder with her own.

Eiji smiles, happy to hear her laugh. "Not all the time." he admits, glancing at her. Not when he's thinking of her. He feels his heart beat uncomfortably hard, but something in him decided to kick him into gear.

He inconspicuously reaches out his fingers, searching…. He bumps into her hand that lies by her side. Suddenly scared witless he goes to snatch his hand back, but to his surprise Ryumi's fingers curl around his before he can do so.

Swallowing hard he looks over to find Ryumi looking back at him shyly. Releasing the breath he was holding he smiles, hiding her nervousness and shifting their hands so their fingers now interlock fully.

She smiles in return and both turn their gazes back up the clouds, feeling a sense of accomplishment rush over them, like they just crossed a major hurdle.

…

"Hello? Eiji? I'm coming in!" Ryumi calls, stepping into the house. "Your sister called and said you were sick and at home and alone-… what are you doing?" she wonders, seeing Eiji rushing through the house like a whirlwind. He looks far from being ill.

"Ryumi!" he calls excitedly, rushing up to her and planting his hands on her shoulders. "Listen carefully…" he pants while she blinks at him in confusion.

"I won!"

"Err… won what exactly?" she questions, growing more confused.

"The Chocolates! The Chocolates are coming here Ryumi-chan!" he exclaims desperately, shaking her while her eyes widen in realization.

She gasps. After all those hours of listening to music together they came to the agreement that the Chocolates belonged to one of their favorite groups. "Eiji!" she squeals.

"I know right?! Surprise! Surprise!" he cheers in glee as they jump up and down excitedly.

"Wait. You knew I would come?" Ryumi questions after getting over the initial shock.

Eiji nods. "Of course. I knew Hanako would tell you I would be sick and you would come over, because that is just the kind of person you are." he smiles. Ryumi can't help but blush at that. He really knows her through and through.

"My family went to the beach and I pretended to be sick and I convinced them to leave me on my own at home. So today is just us and the Chocolates." he winks, making her smile brightly. "See it as my gift of goodbye before you go next week."

"You're too sweet Eiji." she compliments, making him scratch his head in embarrassments.

Suddenly Ryumi looks alarmed. "Oh, do I look okay? I don't want to look like a sack of potatoes when meeting big stars like them." she mutters insecurely.

She stops fidgeting when Eiji pats her head affectionately. "Don't worry. No one shines brighter than Echizen Ryumi." he states, making her laugh embarrassedly.

"Eiji." she scolds playfully taking his hand from her head before their eyes lock on to each other and they take notice of their closeness, making both their hearts race.

Eiji licks his lips nervously. "I messed up your hair a little." he states softly, reaching out and tucking back the few strands that stuck out. He finishes with a final brush through her hair with his fingers. "All pretty again." he breathes looking into her eyes.

Did he just come even closer?

Suddenly the doorbell rings, startling them out of their thoughts and startling them into each other's arms. "It's them!"

…

The day turned out to be quite unexpected. Instead of the Chocolates, the whole team of regulars barged in and they ended up celebrating Momo's belated birthday until Eiji finally came clean with what their true plans were, just in time before the Chocolates did show up.

Letting out a tired breath, Eiji sinks into the couch once everyone left but Ryumi. "That didn't go as planned." he pouts. "I'm sorry Ryumi-chan." he apologizes.

"Don't be sorry." she tells him dressed in her new shirt she had gotten from the Chocolates, are actually Eiji since he gave it to her after receiving it from the Chocolates. "I had a lot of fun."

"Really?" he wonders hopefully, blinking up at her.

She nods resolutely. "Of course. I couldn't have asked for more." she assures him. "I realized… this is the last time we all got to hang out together like this for a long while." she suddenly sniffs, making Eiji jump to his feet.

"Ryumi…" he breathes worriedly.

She smiles through the tears. "It was really nice."

Eiji smiles sadly before stepping closer and enveloping her into a hug. It was all she imagined a hug from Eiji would be. Just wrapped up in a cocoon of warmth and safety. It was the cherry on top of the cake.


	48. Chapter 48

Ryumi checks her gear. After acclimatizing for a week to the familiar scenery of her old hometown, the day has come to step onto the court to face the person that has been haunting her dreams quite often lately.

Her mind has been whirling around the different scenario's that could be played out in the near future. Although trying not to get herself worked up, she can't help but fear a little for what will happen on the court once she faces June. Will she really hate her still?

She reaches out; fingering the lucky charm Eiji gave her months earlier. What she wouldn't give for one of his pep-talks right now.

Ryumi sighs. Their goodbye was so difficult she remembers. Although she is sure to see him and everyone else again in due time, she never expected to take it so hard. They all had come to the airport to see her off. Their kindness made her cry. Those Seigaku boys, they're really something else…

Taking a final deep breath to calm her nerves, she gets to her feet, picking up her bag. She can't afford to get sentimental right now. She needs to play to her best capabilities and prove herself to June, her friends, family and also herself.

The door to the locker room opens to reveal her big brother. "It's time kiddo." he nods, his eyes peering at her with a sense of calm. He always manages to keep his head cool when hers feels like a tornado just went through it. Ryumi is grateful that he's here to keep her on track.

She walks up to him before pausing in front of him. "Pre-match hug Ryoga-nii?" she asks, holding out her arms, making him smirk.

"Always." he chuckles, pulling his little sister into his arms.

They squeeze each other tightly before letting go. Ryoga gives her a final pet on the head. "You'll do good." he encourages her, making her nod timidly. If only was so sure of herself as he was of her.

Together they step into the hallway leading towards the court. They can hear the bustle as the seats have filled up to the max. This match has gotten a lot of publicity and people are eager to see the former friends duke it out again. Some are, no doubt, hoping for a piece of drama.

Ryoga steps out first, making for the bench from here he'll coach her, leaving Ryumi to step up to the edge of the court.

She turns her focus on the girl on the other side of the net and she fights the urge to avert her eyes as June's eyes find hers. What is going through her head?

The crowd hushes as they watch the two teenage girls stare openly at each other, watching with bathed breath for a bomb to burst.

But…Ryumi can't feel it. There is no tension to be found as they both assess each other in curiosity and with worry. A realization comes to them at the same time; they have been worried about each other. They missed each other.

A small smile starts to play on June's lips, making Ryumi let out the breath she has been holding. They're okay.

Ryumi returns the smile, feeling her muscles relax as the last bit of stress slips from her body, making her feel light.

Yeah, she's ready to play.

….

They both breathe hard as the ball rolls out of the court, the final call being made by the umpire.

Ryumi drops her racket, having waited for the end of the match to do what she wanted to do two hours earlier when she first saw her friend's smile.

Seeming to read her mind, June drops her racket as well and they both run up to each other, meeting at the net where they swing their arms around each other.

"I've never been so happy at having lost." June laughs in Ryumi's ear, before pulling back slightly so as to face Ryumi. "You came back stronger than ever. I'm so happy to see you didn't lose your fighting spirit."

Ryumi smiles back wistfully. "It took some help from the right people." she admits, remembering the times when she was ready to give up.

June's smile turns sad and Ryumi can see tears pricking into her eyes. "I'm so sorry for everything." she says sincerely.

"I never blamed you or your brother for what happened. I'm sorry on behalf of those that did. They had no right to give you a hard time about it." Ryumi replies, pulling June back into a hug. "It was them that drove us apart."

June nods into Ryumi's shoulder. "Never again right?" she asks meekly.

"Never again." Ryumi agrees.

…..

Having made up their differences, Ryumi took the time to rekindle their friendship, enjoying her time with June for a while before the thought of home came back to her.

With a promise from June that she will come and visit soon, Ryumi said her goodbyes to her big brother and aunt at the airport.

After a long flight, Ryumi was excited to see everyone again. She didn't announce her arrival, wanting to surprise everyone.

Taking the train to the city, she stepped out a stop early. She should probably be going straight home, feeling like a mess and tired as heck, but she felt like she should stop somewhere first….

After a few minutes of walking, she saw the sea container up ahead on the hill, and much to her excitement there is a figure laying there basking in the light of the setting sun.

Stopping below it she smiles, "Hey, I reserved that seat!" she calls up.

For a moment it's silent and she's almost afraid he didn't hear, but her smile returns when he calls back, "That's too bad! Looks like you'll have to share."

Ryumi's smile widens when Eiji's head pops over the edge, eyes wide and a grin on his face. "Ryumi you're back!"

"Of course dummy! Now get down here!" she orders playfully, before watching him scramble to his feet before jumping down with a flip and landing just inches from her making her almost fall back startled if it wasn't for Eiji wrapping his arms around her and pulling her even closer.

Her eyes widen as his lips touch down on her own. She did not see that coming, but neither did Eiji as he quickly lets go with his face matching his hair in color.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean that-..I mean, I did, but-..you know how excited I can get, I meant no harm, s-…" Ryumi stops him from rambling by pulling her hand over his mouth.

"E-Eiji." she starts, clearing her throat to stop her voice from shaking. He takes note of her reddened face. "It's okay." she assures him, taking her hand back.

He nods slowly. "Okay." he breathes.

"Okay." she echoes.

"Okay enough to try again?" Eiji questions seriously as he looks down into her eyes, making Ryumi's heart really start pumping if it didn't before. Where did this Eiji come from?

She blinks shyly up at him, before nodding. "Yeah."

He reels in his smile, by pressing his lips together tightly before relaxing them and leaning down slowly, letting a shuddering breath escape to reveal how nervous he actually is.

This time Ryumi is ready and closes her eyes as she leans into Eiji, letting their lips meet again, but this time more slowly and with care. It makes her heart flutter.

When they finally pull away again, Ryumi jumps as Eiji cheers loudly putting his arms in the air. Whiping away the imaginary sweat from his forehead, he states with lightly, "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

Ryumi can't help but burst out laughing. There is the same old Eiji. "Me too Eiji, me too." she laughs, welcoming the hug that follows. She buries her head in his shoulder, feeling safe and cherished.

"You're gonna stay now right?" Eiji asks quietly, his nose in her hair.

Ryumi tightens the hug. "Of course. I'm not going anywhere." she assures him, making him hum in content.

"I'm glad." he sighs as he opens his eyes to stare at the sunset ahead, a happy smile growing on his lips. "Very glad."

* * *

 **This is the end. I'm happy that you all sticked to the story for so long and have been patient for as long as you have. Thank you for that and your support.**

 **Please let me know what you thought of the story, I always like getting feedback. Love you!**


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